


The Spirit of Green

by mametsundere



Series: The Spirit of Green [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Fantasy, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-25 20:05:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 37,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6208303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mametsundere/pseuds/mametsundere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alfred is a building contractor who never thought twice about tearing down forests for the sake of business. But what will he do when he discovers that forests are connected to another person's lifeline? Especially when that person turns out to be the man he helplessly falls in love with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Alfred was four when he first met him, albeit briefly – that strange man in the forest with striking green eyes who had leaves growing from underneath his skin. 

During that cool summer in British Columbia, Canada, Alfred had been visiting his cousin's family with his mother. Their house situated just outside a small town had an endless forest as its backyard, untouched by humans and as raw as an old forest could be. 

One day, while the adults drank and chatted, the two little boys wandered a little too far into the vast greenery while searching for the perfect bouquet to give to their mothers. With the innocent determination to see his mother smile, Alfred skipped off the beaten path and very soon got lost within the maze-like forest. By the time he realized his cousin was no longer in sight, his cries were muted to his relatives through the thickness of the forest. 

But someone else heard his cries. 

"Why are you crying, little one?" 

Alfred looked around to find the source of the voice- distinctly male and rich with accent. 

"Over here." 

A few feet away from him, the leaves swirled and morphed and moved until it revealed a man walking towards him. His skin was almost white in colour and his blond hair was wild with wind. His eyes, larger than the average human, flared with colour as vibrant as the forest around them and he wore nothing but a cloth around his waist. 

Alfred should've been scared. In fact, he should've been terrified. But even as the strange man knelt in front of him, the four-year-old couldn't feel anything but awe. 

The man blinked. "Can you see me now?" 

Alfred's mouth was agape but he nodded. 

"Good." He smiled and Alfred took comfort in its warmth. "Now tell me, why are you crying?" 

Alfred rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "I'm lost." 

The man noticed the flowers grasped in the little boy's hand. "Did you get lost picking flowers?" 

Alfred nodded. "I wanted them for Mommy." 

"I understand," he replied, a smile creasing his eyes. "Do you remember where your house is?" 

Alfred shook his head, hopelessness causing his eyes to tear up again. 

Seeing the distress and panic starting to reappear, the man gently shushed him with a soothing pat on his head. "Fret not, little one. Let's get those flowers to your mother, hm?" He stood up and reached out a hand for Alfred to take. 

Alfred took it without hesitation and they began to walk. "You know where home is?" he asked. 

"I've been watching you, child. I have an idea." 

"Watching me?" 

"This is my forest. I see everything. Know everything." 

"Oh. Okay." Feeling pretty satisfied with the answer, Alfred busied himself with staring at the ground in front of him. Then he noticed that the man wore no shoes. "Hey, mister? Why don't you have any shoes on?" He tried to look back up at the man's face but the sun cast it in a shadow.

"I don't need them," he replied in that same smooth voice. 

"Oh. Well _I_ need them."

A low laugh rumbled through the man's throat. "Yes, humans do often need them now." 

Alfred found this curious. "Are you not a human?" 

Those large, green eyes glanced down at him for a second before looking back to the road in front of them. "I'm whatever you think I am." 

Alfred hummed. "Well, you look like a person so you must be a human." He thought for a second longer before giving a firm nod of the head. "So you are human."

The man just smiled. "Then I suppose I am." 

Several minutes passed when the forest began to thin out and the house could be seen through the trees. Alfred excitedly pointed at it the moment he saw it. "Oh, it's that one! That's the house!" He grinned up at the man. "Thank you for helping, mister!" 

Their hands parted. "I hope your mother will appreciate those flowers. Be careful next time, understand?" 

"I will!" 

Following the path, Alfred walked back towards the house where his mother rushed to him in a storm of worry the moment he came into view. While his family was busy fretting around him, Alfred turned back to see if the man was still there.

He saw nothing but endless green.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Alfred returned to the little town, he was eight. Anything before his sixth birthday was more of a dream than a memory – and any memory of that green-eyed man was a dream lost in time. 

Early one afternoon while the parents were out of the house, Alfred was dragging his cousin out the back door but the younger boy was insistent that they stay indoors. 

"Al, let go! Mom said to watch over the house so we need to stay _in_ the house!"

Alfred let go the other's hand the moment they were out the door. "Aw c'mon, Mattie, don't be such a goody-two-shoes. We can watch the house from outside!" He walked down the stairs of the deck and skipped towards the edge of the forest. "It's too hot to stay inside! Isn't it way better out here?" Alfred stretched his arms out and spun in a circle, relishing the fresh breeze that came from the forest. It carried the cooling moistness of the summer shade with it. 

Matthew followed his cousin down the stairs with a disapproving face. "What's going to happen when our parents come back and see that we're not there anymore? They're going to get really mad!" 

"No they won't," Alfred easily brushed it off. "We'll stay right here so they can see us through the windows. That way they can't say we weren't watching the house." 

Matthew crossed his arms. "You say that now but you're going to go into the forest, won't you?" 

"No I won't. . ." Alfred hesitated. "Okay, maybe I will. But that's because I wanna go exploring! You can't do that back at my house." 

"Al, don't you remember what your mom said last time? You can't go in there unless an adult's with you! You got really lost last time you did." 

"That's 'cause I was little, Mattie. I'm a big boy now! Even Mom said so." 

"But she still didn't give you permission to let you go by yourself." 

"I won't get lost!" Alfred insisted, already eagerly taking a few steps into the forest, peering around curiously. "And I'll stay right here! I won't go too far. C'mon, Mattie! Come with me!" 

"Alfred, no!" 

He pouted. "Aw, Mattie!" 

"I said no! I don't want to get in trouble!" 

"You never want to get in trouble," Alfred huffed. "That's why you're so boring." 

Hurt, Matthew's face scrunched up. "I'm not boring! You're just mean!" 

"Whatever. I'm going in whether you want to or not." Alfred climbed over a fallen tree trunk and started to follow the path. 

"Alfred, c'mon, don't do this!" 

Alfred ignored him and kept walking. 

"Alfred!" 

His cousin's voice grew further and further away with every step. But Alfred pressed forward. Soon, he was completely out of range and the house was no longer visible. Now that he processed the serene silence, Alfred couldn't help but feel slightly scared that he was completely alone. 

"I'll just stay here for a little bit longer, that's all. Then I'll go back. I won't get lost as long as I'm on this path," he convinced himself. Deciding that he'd keep walking until he reached the end before turning back, Alfred set forward. 

And he made sure to take his time. Once he got past the initial fear, all that was left was amazement. There wasn't much greenery in the city he lived in, so nothing made him bubble in happiness more than being able to submerge himself in this city of trees. The old trees with fat trunks that seemed to stretch endlessly towards the sky; the blossoming canopy that blanketed over him and turned the sun green made his little heart giddy. He couldn't understand why his cousin didn't feel the same way. 

In what felt like seconds, Alfred reached the end of the path. The flat, walked-on dirt faded off and headed straight into a giant tree. Beyond that was a chaos of nature, undefeatable by an eight-year-old boy. 

Alfred huffed. He didn't want to go back yet, but he didn't have much of a choice. He was going to be in serious trouble otherwise. Dragging his feet, he unwillingly started to head back. 

But just then, he heard a rustle to the side. Snapping to the sound, Alfred couldn't believe what he saw. 

On a fallen tree trunk a bit away from him was a bunny. . . 

A green bunny. . . 

With wings. 

Alfred moved towards it, straying off the path and into the unexplored. 

Hearing the footsteps, the creature looked up from its resting spot and saw the human trying to make his way towards it. Alarmed, it took off. 

Alfred immediately began to run after it. 

Despite how tangled he got from all the stray branches and how many times he slipped on moss, Alfred continued to pursue the strange bunny. Deeper and deeper into the forest he went. Gradually, the trees grew in height and size, with trunks thick enough for a ring of people to surround its base. The forest floor became uneven, dislocated and angular with rocks and roots. 

It was only when Alfred lost sight of the creature did he stop to catch his breath. . . and realize just how lost he really was. Nothing looked familiar. It was practically another world. The greenery resembled nothing like the ones growing back near the house. 

The noises, especially, sent shivers up Alfred's spine. 

Swallowing nervously, Alfred tiptoed around the area. "H-Hello?. . . Bunny?" As if that would make it come back out and make things better. 

It didn't take long until the panic started to settle in. Desperation lodged a stone in his throat and choked the air out of his lungs. Tears came down in streams. He screamed into the silence. "Anyone there? Mattie? Mom? Anyone?! Someone please come find me," he sobbed, vision blurred by tears. "Someone help me! Please!" 

"Lost again, little one?" 

Alfred turned to the voice. A man sat on one of the giant roots protruding out from the ground a few feet away from him. Even from a distance Alfred could see his intense, observing, green eyes. 

Utterly relieved that he wasn't alone anymore, Alfred ran towards the stranger – but a little too quickly for his feet to catch up with his emotions. Losing his balance, Alfred tripped over his own feet and landed on his face. As he got up, the realization hit him and it was like rubbing salt into the wound. He teared up again and a whimper escaped his throat. 

"Well aren't you a clumsy one?" 

The voice, being much closer now, startled Alfred into looking up. Then he was staring right into the eyes of the other. 

And so the forest met the sky. 

Any words or thoughts or tears were immediately vanquished as the green of those eyes swept over Alfred, engulfing him in a sense of security and comfort. They glowed with warmth as unpredictable as the sun. 

"You gave my friend quite the scare," the man said, gesturing over his shoulder. The green bunny Alfred had been chasing appeared from behind, curiously peeking at the human boy. 

"Ah! You!" Alfred exclaimed. The green bunny made a strange, musical sound and flew away. He watched it go, disappointed but amazed. 

"I can't believe you chased him this far into the forest without realizing the consequences. I don't know whether to be impressed or concerned at your lack of awareness." Laughing a little, the man got up and offered a hand to the boy. Alfred took the hand without hesitation. For some reason, the action felt oddly familiar but Alfred didn't think too much about it. The man pulled him up. "Come on then," he said. "I'll lead you back home." 

"You know where my house is?" 

The man turned his eyes to study the boy, something strange glinting in his eyes before looking away. "I have an idea." 

"Oh." After a few minutes of walking, Alfred asked, "So. . . why are you in the forest? Are you lost too?" 

The man laughed. "Child, do I look like I'm lost?" 

Alfred examined him up and down, taking in his appearance. "You're almost naked," he bluntly pointed out. 

"True, but I believe it's you humans who are usually too overdressed. One is born naked, are you not?" 

Alfred scrunched up his nose. "I guess. So you're not lost?" 

"No, I'm not." 

"Oh. . . that's good." 

The conversation faded and the two busied themselves with finding their way around the trees. 

As he followed the man, Alfred could've sworn the bushes and roots were moving out of their way as they walked through. It was hard to see as he was shielded by the tall stature of the man leading him, but he was pretty sure the path was a lot straighter than it should've been. The movement was always a flicker of a second but it happened so often, Alfred convinced himself it was real. 

They soon arrived in familiar territory and the path Alfred knew so well was in sight. The man stopped just before the last layer of trees cleared. He turned to the boy. "I'm sure you know the way from here?" 

Alfred nodded, relief flooding through him. 

"Good. I'll take my leave then." The man began to walk back into the forest. 

"Wait!" Alfred called out. When the man stopped and looked back, Alfred realized he had nothing to say. For some reason things felt unfinished, and he didn't want the man to leave yet. "Um. . . what's your name?" 

Surprise briefly washed over his pale face before it turned into a guarded look; cautious. Those brilliant eyes darkened. 

But then it was clear again. 

"Arthur," he answered. "My name is Arthur." 

"Oh!" Alfred felt himself grin after it processed. "My name's Alfred." 

Arthur smiled softly in acknowledgement. "Better hurry home then, Alfred. Don't want to be in more trouble than you already are, hm?" 

Realization hit the boy and the previous relief was washed out by a whole new level of fear that made his blood run cold. 

Arthur watched the blood drain from Alfred's face and his mouth twitched into a smirk. He turned to go. "Save yourself the trouble and don't get lost a third time, alright?" he said, amused. 

Alfred opened his mouth to retort but the moment he blinked, Arthur was gone. It wasn't until he was halfway home did he realize something strange. 

"Wait a minute. . . did he say a _third_ time?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully updates can stay regular. . . but I feel like it'll be a while until the next one. The end of my school year's coming and that means an endless stream of work. Even this one got squeezed out because I just needed to get away from all the homework stress.
> 
> But anyway, thanks for all the support so far! It means a lot to me. Hope to see you in the next update!


	3. Chapter 3

Alfred heard his earpiece beep with an incoming call and he glanced at his cellphone, propped up near the radio of his car. A picture of his cousin's face showed up and Alfred winced. 

He tapped to answer. "Hey, Mattie, what's up?"

An exasperated sigh came from the other end. "Don't _'what's up'_ me, Al. You're late. By fifteen minutes!"

"Aw c'mon, relax! It's only fifteen minutes. I'm almost there, I swear."

"Yeah, well, everyone's been here for over an hour now and their patience is running low so you better hurry."

Alfred snorted as he turned a corner. "Their fault for always showing up so damn early. Those old farts have nothing better to do with their lives."

"Oh, and you do?"

"Of course! I'm a busy man, Mattie."

"Right, because stopping at Tims for coffee and donuts when you were already running late was totally a good idea. That really shows the company what a busy man you are."

"I can't help it! You guys don't have Dunkin' Donuts here and I need my coffee. Besides," he grinned, "I got you your share as well."

Matthew scoffed. "Don't try to butter me up, Al, I know your tricks. . ." Alfred gave him an extra three seconds and was rewarded when his cousin did a follow-up. "Did you at least get me the Maple Donut with my coffee?" 

Alfred glanced at his passenger seat where said donut was. "But of course! Anything for my favourite cousin!"

Matthew gave a snort. "I'm your only cousin."

"True. But still my favourite."

"Save your flattery for your clients, Al. And hurry your ass up before I run out of excuses to tell them." 

Alfred saw his company's makeshift office appear down the road as he stopped at an intersection. "I know, I know. I see it already. Don't worry, Matt, you'll be smelling that sweet maple and coffee goodness in no time."

"Great, I can taste it already," his cousin grunted. Alfred could almost hear him roll his eyes and laughed. 

"Okay, I'm pulling up now. See you once I'm parked." Tapping his earpiece after his cousin confirmed, Alfred ended the call with a sigh. "Alright then. Time to kick ass."

* * *

"I'm glad you approve of our plan, Mr. Waiton," Alfred said as he put on his best smile for the balding man while opening the door for him.

"Well you boys have impressed me," commented Mr. Waiton as he reached out a hand to shake. "I suppose the future of building development really does rest on you youngsters' shoulders." 

Alfred gave a firm handshake. "That's not necessarily true. If it weren't for you willing to give us this land and funding this expansion we wouldn't be able to go anywhere! Not to mention you pitched in towards these designs as well." 

"I suppose that's true," Mr. Waiton said, laughing. Alfred joined in as if the two of them were the best of friends.

But Alfred was feigning modesty. In reality, it really was Matthew and him that did all the work designing and putting things together. But what's a business deal without heavily laying on the flattery? Especially with money-grabbing people like Mr. Waiton and co. 

Matthew and Mr. Waiton's partners came out and joined them, wearing convincing smiles that sickened Alfred's stomach. Good thing he already had his coffee this morning or else he wouldn't have half the energy to deal with these clients. 

"All done?" Alfred asked. 

"Everything's signed and copied," nodded Matthew. Turning to Mr. Waiton, he made sure his smile was extra bright. "I once again thank you for your support with this project, Mr. Waiton, sir. I've given your secretary your copies of the terms and contracts as well as a few blueprints for your reference. Everyone else has their proper copies as well."

Alfred grinned. "And I'd like to thank you all for your patience this morning. The traffic up here was just horrid!" Everyone was so busy laughing they missed the dirty look Matthew was giving him. 

Mr. Waiton gave the boys a hard pat on the back, grinning. "Alright then, I guess it's time for us to head on back to the airport. I look forward to see all that you've put on paper in real life. Keep me updated, boys."

Matthew nodded. "But of course. If you have any questions or concerns just give our head office a call and they'll connect you with us. Or, email us."

After all the goodbyes were said and handshakes were given all around, the group of clients were seen off. As they disappeared down the road in their limo, Alfred turned his back to them with a disgusted sigh, smile dropping off his face like an anchor. 

"Thank God, they're gone," he moaned, rubbing his face underneath his glasses. 

Matthew gave his cousin a sympathetic smile. "Considering how greedy he is, I'm surprised you got him to agree to 40 percent of the earnings."

"He only agreed because I offered him the better deal of having discounted expenses for any future projects."

"But less than half, Al! That's amazing."

Alfred smiled. "Well, I wasn't going to give him 90 percent even if my life depended on it." The two walked back towards the office. "We've worked our asses off to get to this point and I don't want all the glory and profit to go to him. Especially when the only thing he does is shit out money in the first place."

"But he is the one investing in this project, so of course he'd want to get something out of it," Matthew pointed out. 

"Oh, he will." Alfred assured, opening the door for his cousin and walking in after him. "All 40 percent of it."

* * *

After dinner, Alfred plopped down onto his cousin's sofa, sighing contentedly as he took in a gulp of beer. "It's always nice to come back here. Thanks for letting me stay over as always, Matt."

"You don't need to thank me every time," Matthew laughed, putting leftovers into the fridge. "It's not like I'm going to make you stay in a hotel when our project's right here in my hometown."

"True," Alfred agreed, absent-mindedly swishing his beer loosely in his hand. "Not good for the company's expenses," he joked.

Matthew grabbed his own beer and sat down on the loveseat across his cousin. "Flight go okay?"

Alfred shrugged. "Nothing exciting. Landed earlier than expected this morning."

"Hence the Tims?"

"Exactly," Alfred winked, taking another swig of his beer. Swallowing, he looked around. "This place hasn't changed much, huh?"

"You mean the house? Yeah, well there's not much to change. Mom and Dad had it all going for them and I never complained." Matthew paused in thought. "Well, there's the occasional repair of the deck and stuff but that's all I've ever needed to do, really."

Alfred nodded, appreciating the interior of the wooden house. Its high wooden ceiling and strong banisters looked like it stretched on forever into the sky. The kitchen, living, and dining room all blended into each other on the first floor, softened with rustic rugs and filled with polished furniture. To the side of the house were the stairs to the second floor, a space big enough to have its own reading area before traveling down a hallway to the bedrooms. 

Smiling fondly at the memories that came with visually exploring the house, Alfred stretched his arms and let them fall lax to his side. A sudden bird cry made him turn to the window-doors leading to the deck. With the sun on its way into the horizon for the evening, the trees cast orange shadows to the ground. Seeing the hazy green gave Alfred a sudden urge to dive straight into it. 

Downing the rest of his beer, he placed the empty bottle on the coffee table in front of him. "Say, Mattie, how about going for a walk before the sun completely sets?" 

His cousin raised his eyebrows. "In the forest?"

"Duh."

"But it's getting late."

"What, you scared of the dark?"

Rolling his eyes, Matthew got up to his feet. "Fine, let's go. But I'm taking my beer with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! Quite the uneventful one too. But hopefully more to come soon!


	4. Chapter 4

"You really extended the path, huh?" Alfred asked as they walked down the dirt road. It had been there ever since they were children, but over the years under Matthew's ownership of the house, the path had been extended further into the forest - forcibly cut through the denseness rather than naturally being walked down over time. 

Matthew nodded. "Yeah, I just thought it'd be easier to get to the construction site whenever I don't feel like driving." He took a swig of beer. "And the walks are getting too short for a big buy like me."

The cousins passed the giant tree that used to landmark the end of the original path. The way its hanging branches now drooped over the new path made Alfred think it looked like an entranceway of sorts. 

"Man, I feel like it's been forever since I've been here," Alfred said, taking in a deep breath of dewy air. 

"Well technically, you came by last month," Matthew pointed out.

"Dude, that was for _one_ day. And it was only to confirm the construction site that you've already planned out. So actually, I haven't been back in almost," Alfred paused to calculate. "Eighteen years! " 

"Things look pretty different, huh?"

"Tell me about it. Who would've thought this tiny town would need this much development and expansion?" Alfred laughed. "But then again, it's been eighteen years." 

"Eighteen years was all it took for the population to almost triple. This _'tiny'_ town needs an expansion or else it's going to burst," joked Matthew while finishing the rest of his drink.

The men walked for another quarter of an hour when they came across a large, wire fence. A bright orange sign was tied to it, with the words 'CONSTRUCTION IN PROGRESS' as well as the details and dates of the project on it. 

Alfred walked off the dirt road and waddled through the bushes to get closer to the fence. He whistled lowly. "Can't get over how much we're going to cut down," he sighed as he saw the tractors poised for the ready in the distance. 

Matthew came to join him. "What, having regrets? It was your idea to use this forest for the project in the first place."

"Because there's so much potential! Think about how much it'll boost the town's economy. It's social worth. And the aesthetic; think about the aesthetic! People are all about the high trees and lakes nowadays." Alfred wildly gestured around him to point it out to his cousin.

As if he didn't have eyes. Rather, Matthew rolled them at the expense of his contradicting cousin. "If that's the case then why do you sound so reluctant? Your guilty conscience coming up?"

"Yeah. No! I mean-. . . Kind of. You grow up learning how important the environment is so you can't help but feel guilty when you cut down so much of it." Alfred looked out sadly at the view. 

"I think it's just because this place has sentimental value for you."

"Yeah, there's that too, I guess."

Seeing how oddly downhearted his cousin was, Matthew sighed and gave him a hard slap to the back. "Cheer up, eh? Remember why we're in development in the first place."

Alfred gave him a little - somewhat pained - smile. "To make the world a better place?"

Matthew nodded. "Everything we're doing is for the people and to help make their lives better, right?"

Alfred stood a little taller. "Right."

"And it's not like we're trying to be inconsiderate. We take pride that our company is as environmentally positive as we can, don't we?"

"Yes." Alfred grinned. "Yes we do." 

"So there's nothing to feel guilty about. It's for the better after all."

"For the better. . ." Alfred echoed. He thought back to his teenage years when he and Matt first decided to pursue this career. To make the world a better place had been their raw motivation and it had been enough to push them towards where they were today. It had been so long he had almost forgotten. Regaining back his confidence, he smiled gratefully at his cousin. "Thanks, Mattie. Where would I be without you?"

Matthew snorted. "Well, for one, unemployed." 

"Fair point." 

Chuckling, Matthew glanced up at the darkening sky before turning back to Alfred. "So is your midlife crisis over? Can we go home now?" 

Alfred smirked. "You think you're so funny, don't you?"

"Oh, I _know_ I'm funny," replied Matthew. "C'mon, let's go before it gets too dark to see. I didn't even bring my phone."

"Nah, don't worry. I have mine." Alfred followed. 

On their way back, a strong wind suddenly blew through the darkening forest, stirring the leaves and creaking the wood. What had been nothing but silence was now a chaos of whisperings and sighs and hushes. Something caused Alfred to freeze and turn to look behind him. 

"Al?" Matthew called from up ahead. "What's wrong?" 

Alfred searched around for a few more seconds before he hesitantly answered back. "Nothing! . . . It's nothing!" But as he went to catch up to his cousin, Alfred frowned to himself. He wasn't convinced, but he was pretty sure he had heard a voice.

A voice that whispered _'Alfred'_ as soft and smooth as the forest leaves.

* * *

First thing the next morning, Alfred got a call. Groaning, he quickly got dressed and went to go wake up his cousin who was none too happy to be shaken awake so early. 

"What d'ya want?" he grumbled.

"Matt, get dressed. Something happened at the construction site."

Hearing the serious tone made Matthew fully open his eyes. "Bad?"

Alfred quirked his mouth to the side, unsure. "Sort of. More weird than bad."

Frowning, Matthew got out of bed. "What kind of answer is that?" he mumbled, more to himself than Alfred.

"I'll explain more on the road," replied Alfred anyway. "Just get dressed."

Getting out a clean shirt, Matthew sighed. "And I was having such a good dream too."

"Let me guess, it involved maple syrup?"

"Not this time. I had a polar bear cub or something for a pet. And it could talk."

"Oh that's cool."

"Yeah," Matthew casually agreed. "But for some reason, it just couldn't remember my name." He shrugged. "Weird."

Laughing, Alfred followed his cousin out and down the stairs once he was dressed. "Let's just hope whatever happened at the site isn't as weird as your dream."

"Agreed."

Pressing on the gas pedal a little stronger than he usually did, Alfred drove them up to the construction site in record time. As he was let into the closed off area, he could already see the confusion floating around the area. All the construction workers, dressed in their fluorescent uniforms and heavy boots, were clustered around the machines. Those lingering further away whispered among themselves with frowns on their faces. 

"I hope this isn't just a mechanical issue or something," Matthew mumbled upon seeing the large group of workers.

"I don't think they'd call us in for that reason." Alfred parked a few feet away and the two men walked out to approach the cluster, searching for the man in charge. 

"Alfred! Matthew!" 

"Tino!" Alfred waved at the man making his way through the crowd. "What happened?"

"It's the machines," the small Finnish man explained. His face echoed the concern as the rest of the staff. "All the fuel's gone! Someone must have emptied it last night."

"They're all gone?!" Alfred exclaimed. 

"Why not use the ones in storage?" asked Matthew.

Tino shook his head. "When I say 'all the fuel' I mean _all_ the fuel. Even the barrels we brought here for backup are completely drained."

"How's that possible?" Alfred asked. 

"That's the problem. We don't know."

Matthew frowned. "What do you mean? Did you not look through the surveillance?"

"The cameras didn't turn anything up. Not a single person showed up on the footage." 

Alfred couldn't believe it. "Show me." Tino nodded and gestured them to the side. Meanwhile, Matthew turned to the workers and shouted out. "Go take a break everyone! At the moment you're on stand-by. We'll call you once everything's ready, understand?"

A chorus of "Yes, boss!" answered him. 

As the crowd dispersed, it gave the three men more privacy and quiet to discuss the matters at hand. As Tino began to boost up his laptop, Matthew sighed and looked over at the dormant machines. "It'll take a few days to get enough fuel to power these things here. . . This will definitely put a delay on our progress." 

"Here it is," Tino announced. They all turned to the computer screen, eager to solve the mystery. But unfortunately, just like Tino said, not a single person was seen trespassing. Even with night vision, nothing was detected.

"Fuck, what a nightmare," groaned Alfred. "Tino, how many cameras were active?"

"Nine, I believe." 

"Could you send me the footage? I'll take a closer look at them back home. Fuel can't just suddenly disappear like that!" 

Nodding, Tino closed his laptop. "I'll go do that right now."

"Good. Then let's go back to the office together. We can take my car. I need to contact the fuel company to get more in anyway." Alfred turned to his cousin. "Matt, can you stay behind and direct the workers in beginning to line the night-lights and set up anything else they'll need? Even if we can't start the bulk of the construction, they can do the side jobs in the meanwhile so they're not just idling."

Matthew agreed without hesitation. "Sure thing."

Sighing, Alfred straightened his glasses. "Let's hope we can find the source of this problem before the next batch of fuel comes in. Or else something like this could very well happen all over again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet. Thank you for your continuing support!


	5. Chapter 5

That night, Alfred was determined to find a lead to the missing fuel and vowed not to sleep until he went through all the camera footage from the construction site. 

All _nine_ cameras, each with a whole night's worth of footage.

"You're going to end up passing out," Matthew warned from the kitchen sink where he was washing up the dishes. The moment they had gotten home, Alfred had planted himself on the couch and stared hard at his laptop screen. The Canadian sighed from his cousin's lack of response. "Can you even hear me right now?"

Alfred grunted, eyes not leaving the screen.

Matthew laughed. "Although I have to say, it's so rare of you to be so silent. Usually, you never shut up. Guess I'll have to enjoy this while it lasts."

"You're just _full_ of laughs this time around, aren't you?" Alfred grumbled sarcastically. His blue eyes, now a ghostly colour from the screen, continued to search the footage.

"I'm always full of laughs." Matthew closed the taps and dried off his hands. "Want me to make some coffee for you?"

"Sure." 

Matthew rolled his eyes. "You're welcome." 

Alfred fully laughed, finally showing signs of life. "Thanks, Matt," he said sincerely. 

Shaking his head at his hopeless cousin, Matthew smiled anyway. "Hey, you think what happened this morning involved the town protesters?" 

Alfred frowned. "I thought we already settled that problem last year." 

Shrugging, Matthew started the coffee machine. "Officially we did."

"Signed agreement and everything, right?"

"Right. But it's always possible that there could be an odd one out who's especially against the project and went out of their way to botch the machines." 

"So you're thinking illegal actions?"

"Just a guess." 

Stretching, Alfred nodded. "Well, considering how heated things got last year before the meetings started, I wouldn't be surprised if that is the case. But if it was a protester, they would've showed up on camera. Tino didn't see anything." 

"He only quickly scanned them over so he could've missed something," Matthew pointed out, walking across the floor to lean up against the couch. 

"True. Which is why I'm going over them again."

"Why not just ask Tino to do it again?"

"Nah, I'd rather do it myself."

"Why? Can't sleep unless you're the first to find out what happened?"

"Exactly." Alfred grinned. 

"I can't understand how you can be so diligent." Matthew watched the screen over Alfred's shoulder for a few seconds before he grunted in surrender and went to walk up the stairs. "Well, you do best then. I'll be upstairs if you need me. Yell if you find anything."

"Yes, Boss," Alfred snickered. 

"Don't forget to get some sleep, okay?"

"Matt, it's only one all-nighter. Not like we've never had them before. I'll survive. Go dream about your polar bear and maple syrup." Alfred shooed at him with a hand. After a few more final exchanges and early good-night's, Matthew went upstairs and left Alfred to his work. 

Getting comfortable on the couch, Alfred put up his feet and placed his laptop on his lap. "Alright, let's get back into it." 

Since morning, he had already gone though the cameras watching over the entrances and exits of the construction site to see if anyone had snuck their way in through the security system. But even with heat detection and night vision, not a single person showed up on screen. After a few more hours and barely half of the footage examined, Alfred still couldn't find anything. When the sky began to bloom into dawn, Alfred was about ready to scratch his eyes out. 

_'Just what am I missing?!'_ Alfred mentally screamed. _'Oil can't just disappear into thin air like that. Someone must have taken it.'_ When Matthew came down the stairs in the morning, Alfred was still glued to the screen, a determined frown still plastered on his face. 

"How did it go? Did you find anything?" Matthew asked. But really, he already knew the answer. 

"Nothing," Alfred groaned. "Not a goddamn thing. But I still have two more cameras left to look at."

Matthew moved to the coffeemaker and noted that it hadn't been touched since last night. Looks like Alfred had been too absorbed to even get up for a single cup. He poured himself one and put it in the microwave. "You really think you're going to find something?" he questioned doubtfully. 

Alfred shot him an ungrateful look and went back to watching the screen. "Doesn't hurt to try," he grumbled. 

Matthew sighed but he didn't argue. Getting his heated coffee out from microwave, he went to sit beside his cousin and passed over a bottle of eye-drops. Alfred paused the footage and took it gratefully.

"Planning to go to the office today?" 

"Probably not." Alfred paused. "Well, might go pick up some plans but I'll definitely drop by the site again."

"Going to play investigator?" Matthew teased. 

"Might as well." Alfred chuckled. "Besides, the company has you to be in charge if I'm not there. You get along with everyone better than I do anyway. And even if we call the police, it's not like they'll do any better." 

"But they have several people. You're only one person." 

"You're underestimating me, Mattie." Alfred winked at him while stealing a sip from his cousin's coffee. "But I gotta finish this up before going. I'll see you for dinner tonight?"

"Should we order take-out? Or are you willing to cook tonight?"

"Take-out all the way. There's that new hamburger joint that opened in town I want to try."

"Hamburgers. Of course." Matthew surrendered his coffee over to his cousin and went back upstairs to change out of his sleepwear. "Well, hopefully you'll find some clues on the site or something, Investigator Jones." 

"I will for sure. Didn't you know? I'm the best investigator in town!"

* * *

Alfred finally made it to the site around noon. Luckily, everyone was on their lunch break, which meant he had access to all the machines (which were still being useless and fuel-less in their designated corner). 

Unluckily, _everyone_ was on their lunch break. 

Walking past the borders and into the site, he greeted everyone with a smile and the occasional nod. As a person, he had no qualms about giving a break to all the people who usually gave their all during their company's other projects; but as an executive, it nagged at him that the company would be paying out precious money to guys who aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing. 

Then again, it's not like they had any other choice. 

"Hey, Tino! I'm just gonna look around for a bit, that okay?" he asked, calling out to the Finnish man going over some plans with his co-workers. 

Tino looked up. "Oh, yeah! Sure thing! Let me know if you find anything."

Alfred held up a thumbs-up and entered the bulk of the site, away from the gathering of construction workers. In all honesty, he had already found something while looking at the last security camera. He just purposely didn't tell anyone because he knew they wouldn't believe him - not even Matthew. 

_Especially_ not Matthew. He only believed in realistic answers after all. 

And what Alfred found - or _saw_ \- was definitely something unrealistic. But at this point, Alfred was willing to follow any lead he could get. 

Making his way up the hill to the furthest corner of the site took Alfred a good ten minutes. He could no longer hear the grumble of numerous men; he could only see tiny specks of their orange vests in the distance. Right at the edge of the forest, walking a little further in would take Alfred to where he and Matthew were two nights ago at the end of their leisure path. Alfred glanced up at the security camera a few feet above him on the fence, positioned in such a way that it pointed towards the open construction site and had the row of machines at the bottom of the hill just at the edge of the screen. 

"Other than me, no one's been up here yet." Alfred looked down around his feet, checking for tracks. "If that's the case then there should be. . . something leftover. . ." He took a step up towards the forest. "Ah. Found it." 

Imprinted in the dirt looked like a print leftover by a large snake or tubing of sorts. Large enough for Alfred to wrap both hands around it, the drag marks seemed to come from inside the forest, appearing on and off until it slid down the hill towards the machines. But if Alfred's eyes served him correctly, what he saw in the footage this morning proved that it was neither a snake or a tube, but a _tree vine_. 

A _moving_ tree vine. 

Alfred had to rewind the footage for what felt like a hundred times to verify that he wasn't just hallucinating from lack of sleep, but after the one-hundredth-and-one time, he was certain that the tree vine he saw in the corner of the camera was real and was indeed a moving tree vine. 

Alfred knelt down to examine the tracks better. "They're not exactly smooth. . ." he murmured, taking in the scratchy texture of the drag marks. "Now the question is, where did all the fuel go?" Glancing into the forest, he decided to follow the prints. They were sure to lead somewhere.

Carefully, Alfred maneuvered himself past the first line of bushes and continued to walk deeper into the forest, following the occasional tracks here and there in the dirt. "Tree vine or not, someone's gotta be behind all this," Alfred thought out-loud to himself. Deeper and deeper he went and eventually he passed the place he and Matthew had been before. "If I at least find out where all the fuel went, I can at least go back saying I solved a piece of the puzzle. The last thing I want to do is go back empty-handed."

And Alfred really did want to turn back already. Following what seemed like an endless trail of drag marks, he was beginning to lose track of just how long he had been walking. The more he followed, the deeper into the forest he went. He glanced behind him and could barely see the break in clearing anymore. 

Looking up and around, Alfred found himself swallowed in green. It was as if nothing else existed outside the singular mirage of colour. The intervals of birds and critters were the only sounds to remind Alfred he was still sane, because other than wildlife, all sound had been absorbed into the green. If he pinpointed his senses hard enough, Alfred felt as if he was on high altitude, a strange pressure on his ears and a haze coating his brain. 

_'I mean, just because I think I saw a tree vine and the tracks were rough doesn't necessarily mean it really was a moving tree vine or something,'_ he thought. Looking further in to where the tracks disappeared into an endless forest, Alfred wasn't sure if continuing alone would be a good idea. Pulling out his cellphone, he looked up his cousin's number only to find out that there was no signal. Cursing at himself and at the forest that's robbed him of service, Alfred decided to head back for today. It'd be better to come back tomorrow rather than get lost now with not cellphone service. 

"Maybe I was hallucinating after all," he grumbled to himself. "I'll go back and check the cameras again." But as he maneuvered his way back, he couldn't shake the feeling that what he saw wasn't quite as crazy as it seemed. And if that voice he heard from that night meant anything. . .

Alfred heard a soft rustling behind him. He whipped around. 

He scanned the area with his frantic eyes, not daring to move an inch. "Who's there?" he shouted out. 

His question only bounced back to him sounding just as on-edge as he felt. 

"Come out!" he tried again.

But nothing happened. 

Alfred straightened himself and faced the endless green. "I don't know who you are, but if you're responsible for taking our oil then you better show yourself and answer for your actions!" His eyes continued to search for any signs of movement, but none came. Not even a sound. 

By now, normal people would've just left it at that and walked away. But Alfred wasn't normal. He was a grade-A, stubborn-ass mule. And even more so than the average person, he believed in his gut more than anything, and right now, his gut was telling him something - or _someone_ \- was out there. 

"Don't say I didn't warn you. Maybe we can make a deal and I'll go easy on you," he said. "If not, well I'm bringing a whole team the next time I come back. Don't think they'll be as nice as me when we find you." 

Then he waited. 

One second. . .

Two seconds. . .

Three seconds. . .

Alfred counted to ten before he sighed. The culprit must've escaped by now. As if someone who was guilty would just stick around, right? But just as Alfred took a few steps back to the site, an accented voice spoke to him from the darkness of the green. The way it echoed and flowed around him like wind sent shivers down his spine. 

"I don't believe you're in the position to be threatening me, _Alfred_ ," it said. "But yes, let's talk. It certainly has been a while."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait everyone! Reality is a cruel thing for a student...


	6. Chapter 6

_'Where. . .?'_

Alfred looked around, trying to pinpoint a direction. 

The voice let out a deep chuckle, blooming from the chest. "I never said I'd show myself. I merely said we could talk." 

Alfred frowned, not appreciating the teasing. "Stop playing games and show yourself. It's not fair that you can see me but I can't see you."

"Not fair, you say?" A giant whoosh of wind rushed through the forest, violently stirring the leaves and dirt from the ground. The male voice turned sour. "Walking into my territory and spewing threats is not fair. Cutting down my home and claiming ownership over it is not fair. Seeing humans act selfishly and not being able to do anything is _not fair_." The trees groaned as if in agreement - a chorus of misery as they bent in the wind. "I hardly see how choosing not to reveal my form is in any way unfair to a human like you."

The wind continued to howl. Alfred had to use his arms to shied his eyes from the debris. Part of him immediately regretted his choice of words, especially when he had already suspected that he was dealing with some kind of supernatural entity, but another part of him was slightly ticked that this guy was being so sensitive. 

But before he could get a word out, the wind suddenly died down and it gradually settled back into sleep. Alfred cautiously lowered his arms, peering around. When the voice came again, it was more condensed. More human.

"But I suppose it would be unfair of me to lash out on only you. It's not your fault humans aren't aware of our existence." 

Alfred looked up.

He stared, spellbound. 

The male smirked from his spot up in the tree. "Is there really a need to look so surprised? This wouldn't be the first time you've seen me in this form." 

Too many questions flooding Alfred's mind meant asking the wrong ones. Or at least, not the ones he really wanted the answers to. "B-But this is the first time?" he sputtered in confusion. He was sure he wouldn't forget seeing someone with _leaves_ growing out from their body. 

The other male grimaced, looking quite disappointed with the answer. "It appears you've forgotten me." He pushed himself off the branch and landed onto the forest floor without a sound. "But then again, you were but a wee child when you last visited. Human children do tend to have fleeting memories." 

But when their eyes met Alfred felt an uncomfortable, nagging chill crawl down his spine. 

Those large eyes, glowing and eerie, made Alfred feel like he was staring straight in the depths of the forest. The way that unwavering gaze studied him. Judged him. 

_Swallowed_ him. 

Any longer and he might drown. 

So Alfred fought out words. "I-Is that how you know my name?" 

"Yes," was the simple answer. "You were told mine as well, actually." 

"Really?" Alfred shifted nervously. "I. . ."

"Don't remember?" 

He sounded so hurt Alfred instantly felt guilty despite his logic saying he didn't really have the need to. Even if he really did meet this guy when he was a kid, it wouldn't be too likely that he would remember anyway. 

"Yeah, no," Alfred admitted. "Sorry, but I can't remember you at all." 

The male crinkled his nose in distaste. "Of course not." Although his tone remained understanding, those eyes glared with accusation. But then it faded seconds later. "So now that I'm here before you, what do you want?"

Oh. Right. Alfred could've punched himself for forgetting the real reason why he trekked all the way in here. "The company's oil. You were the one who took it, right?" 

"And what if I am?" The male challenged.

A little irked that there was no denial whatsoever, Alfred regained a bit a courage. "I suggest you give it back to us."

A snort. "Or what, you'll send your team after me? Is that what you said before?"

"I wasn't bluffing."

"Oh, I know you weren't. But do you really think they'll be able to do anything to me? Or that they'll even believe you if you tell them of my existence?"

Alfred clenched his hands. The guy was right. To tell everyone that a ghost took the oil? That it disappeared into the forest because someone willed it to happen? "How did you take it anyway?"

"You tell me." Those green eyes glinted mischievously. "I made sure to be extra careful of not getting caught. . . But if you're here that could only mean you found something, did you not?"

"I. . . did, but that doesn't mean I understand," Alfred admitted. "What, did you just use tree roots to suck up the oil or something? Or did you use a machine, or. . . Where did all that oil go?"

"As if your machines mean anything to me. No, I took your precious oil with my own two hands. Or rather, an extension of them." As if to prove it, something rumbled out from the earth behind him. 

Alfred couldn't believe his eyes. 

Thick roots rose from out of the ground around the man's bare feet, very much fluid and alive. Hearing rustling grow louder, Alfred yelped as he noticed some of those roots were snaking their way towards his feet. He quickly jumped away. 

But the roots stopped and simply waved in the air in a resting tempo. Alfred grew annoyed when he saw that the strange man was laughing at him. So he was being played with, was he? Alfred stood his ground and glared. "So you used these roots to take the oil?"

"Indeed." The man retracted them and the rustling died down. 

"Did you. . . absorb it or something?"

"I did."

"So. . . does that mean-?"

"If you're asking me to return the oil to you, I suggest you go back to where the others are. Now that I've taken in the oil, I'm afraid I can't just spit it back out." He leaned against the tree he had previously been sitting on, looking slightly amused. 

Alfred pursed his lips into a tight line and his hands clenched. This guy didn't look like he was lying. . . but that's what pissed Alfred off all the more. "So when we get the new shipment of fuel in, you're just going to take it again?" 

The smile on the man's face grew. His eyes gleamed.

Alfred felt his annoyance surge. "Why are you getting in our way?" He demanded.

The other man snorted. "And here I thought only human children are forgetful. Did you not hear what I said before?" He pushed his weight off of the tree and walked towards Alfred. "This forestland is my home. From the leaves that bud to the roots deep underground, every thing you see is my territory."

"But there were no papers that-"

A laugh, crisp and deafening, echoed as the male mocked Alfred's innocent response. "Do I look like someone who has anything to do with your human legalities? Do you really think I'm speaking in terms of the world you live in?" 

He was closer now, and Alfred felt the urge to cower grow. 

The male didn't have a large build. Rather, he was skinny with lanky limbs. But the sheer _feeling_ of wisdom and power radiating from those large eyes made Alfred feel like he was shrinking. He quickly realized he was definitely not in a world he was used to anymore. 

"Every tree you cut down. Every area of land you dig up and violate is mine." The man's green eyes narrowed and he stopped barely a foot away from Alfred. The smile was gone and all that was left was a threat. "Remember this, _Alfred_ , that until you and the rest of the humans leave from here, I will stop at nothing to prevent your plans from continuing. By taking your oil I have merely left you with a warning. If you value your safety as well as the safety of your workers, I suggest you leave."

Alfred stood his ground. "And if we don't?" There was a tense silence as they stared each other down. The blue searched for answers in that flood of green but it was too muddled with too many emotions that Alfred couldn't pick out anything distinct.

Finally, the male backed away. "Then you'd just be an idiot. You'd be endangering both the lives of your men as well as yourself." A sigh. "Enough talk," he said as he began to walk back into the depths of the forest. "Looks like all my efforts are meaningless. There's no talking to a human like you."

With the man's back turned to him, Alfred realized just how alien this guy really was. Those leaves stemming out from under his pale skin near the shoulders and small of his back; the greenish veins spreading over the thin areas at his wrists and the back of his knees. Alfred was both disturbed and fascinated. 

"Just what _are_ you?" 

The male stopped and turned to him. Alfred felt his heart falter. There was something so very sad in those large, green eyes when he said, "I'm whatever you think I am." 

Then he vanished, leaving Alfred conflicted and confused as ever. 

Feeling as if practically none of his answers had been answered, Alfred decided that maybe it'd be best to do more research before coming back again.

* * *

"------, --- --- ----?" 

"Ah, don't worry about me. I'm just tired."

"--- -- ------ -- --- ---?" 

"The oil, huh? Yes, it must be because of that. I thought I'd be able to handle it since it originally came from the earth, but the humans have filtered it too much."

"---- --- --- ----- -- -- --- -----?"

"This land is not fit to contain oil. There's too much water that could possibly be contaminated. I'll keep the rest within me and slowly cleanse it myself." 

"--- -- ---- -- ---- -- ---- -- --- ------ ---!" 

He laughed, but winced. "I won't disappear simply because I absorbed some oil. I'm not that weak. The humans may have taken away a good chunk already but I won't give up. Not yet." 

". . . --- ---- ---- Alfred?" 

". . . That child has long forgotten me. As a human, it was hard enough for him to see us. But as an adult, his ability to see us has lessened even more so."

"--- ---- ------!"

"Oh please, he doesn't even remember my name."

"--- ----- -- --- --- ----- - -- --?" 

"I suppose we can try. . . Although I doubt there'd be an easy way about this. He has the upper-hand after all. And making a deal is impossible. I want to give nothing and he wants everything. Given that it's his job at stake, I doubt he'd want to give it all up because of me."

"--- --- --- ----!"

"And what does my life mean to him? Even if I die, he could care less about it."

"---- -- ---- -- ---- -- ---."

"We'll see. But until then, I have no choice. I'd rather not be his enemy but. . ." A long sigh and a wry laugh. "If I knew things would end up like this, I would've never helped him out of the forest all those years ago. At least I wouldn't feel so pained if it was someone other than him."

"-----. . ."

"I know, this is unbecoming. Perhaps I just got too attached to that child since he had been the first to see me in a long while."

". . ."

"Leave me. I'm tired. Let me rest. This oil is going to my head. I'll return to myself again in the morning." 

And so the little green bunny flew off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shortness! School has me in chains...


	7. Chapter 7

Things were peaceful for Alfred for the next few days. No strange whisperings. No having the feeling that someone was watching him every now and then. No strange being with vivid green eyes appearing out of thin air. 

Things were peaceful for almost a week. . . until the next shipment of fuel came in. 

"Think it'll go missing again this time?" Matthew asked his cousin. 

Alfred was staring intently as the barrels were being emptied into the machines. "It better not," he muttered. 

"Did you figure out what happened last time anyway?" 

There was an uncomfortable pause before he answered, "No."

Matthew glanced at him. Odd answer. "O-kay? Well, guess we'll just have to increase the security in this area just in case."

"Sure."

"Better than nothing, right?"

"Right."

". . ." Matthew gave him another few seconds before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, Al. Be honest with me. Did you find something out last time or what? Because you're giving off the feeling that you're hiding something."

Alfred glanced at his cousin, hesitation visible on his face. "You won't believe me if I tell you."

"So you _are_ hiding something."

Alfred didn't respond.

"What happened last time? What did you find out?"

"Let's just say. . . someone took the oil," he started off awkwardly. 

"Seriously? Who was it? A protestor?"

"Um. . . not really." Alfred struggled to find the right words and shied away the weird look his cousin was giving him. "The person that took it - if you can even call him a person. . . isn't human."

A moment passed. 

"Wait, what?" Matthew blinked. "They're not _human_?"

Alfred rubbed the back of his neck and his tone turned a little sour. "Well, when I confronted this guy, he appeared out of thin air and had, like, branches and leaves growing out of his shoulders and everything. And when he was telling me about how he took the oil, he showed me how he could control tree roots like it was some kind of superpower!" When Matthew looked extremely doubtful, Alfred pressed on. "I'm not crazy, Matt, that's what actually happened!"

"So you're telling me this. . . _spirit_ or whatever took the oil?"

"Yeah, with his tree roots! He absorbed the oil into the forest," Alfred insisted, pointing in the direction he had explored previously that week. 

Matthew stared at him for a very, very long time before slowly confirming his cousin's sanity. "Are you sure you didn't just imagine this?"

Alfred gaped. "Does this sound like something I'd make up?!"

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time. You used to say you had an alien friend named Tony."

"I did! He just left to go back to his home planet a few years ago! And-" Alfred stopped himself. "Wait, this isn't the point. I'm not making this up, Matt. I really did meet this guy out in the forest and he claims he absorbed the oil!"

"Right. . . Okay. . ."

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Well, I don't know, Al. Tree roots that absorbed oil? A spirit that can control them? I don't know about you but this all sounds like fantasy to me," said Matthew. 

Alfred pressed his lips together. "I guess that's true. . ." He shook his head. "But anyway, whether or not you believe me, that's what happened."

"So. . . if this guy took the oil, where is it?" Even as the words left his mouth, Matthew couldn't believe he was asking this as if it was what actually happened. 

"If the roots absorbed them, I'm pretty sure he's not planning on giving it back to us." Alfred frowned. "At least that's what he said."

"Is that why you're so tense right now?"

"Well. . ." Alfred paused. "I want to make sure it doesn't happen again." 

"But how are you planning on stopping him?"

"I'm gonna catch him in the act and stop him before he can take it!"

Matthew frowned. "And you think he'll stop just because you caught him? He already knows you know it's him anyway."

". . . Should I bring out a chainsaw?"

Shivering, Matthew had a look of distaste. "Whatever you do, just don't involve me in it. As long as the oil doesn't get taken again. . ." Scanning his cousin's face, he asked, "Are you sure you don't want to go to a doctor and get your head checked? Maybe you bumped it on something-"

"Matt, I'm telling you, it was real!" 

Raising his hands in surrender, Matthew shrugged. "Fine, whatever you say. You do your thing. Just don't get in trouble." There came a shout and Matthew turned his head in its direction. "Ah, looks like they're done. I'll go instruct them on what to do next."

Alfred nodded, already half-immersed in his own worries. That guy wouldn't show up randomly in front of everyone, would he? 

But the warning from days before was still fresh in his mind and the echoes of the spirit's accented voice echoed relentlessly. 

_"Remember this, Alfred, that until you and the rest of the humans leave from here, I will stop at nothing to prevent your plans from continuing."_

To what extent would the male go to in order to stop them? Was this really a battle Alfred could win?

_"By taking your oil I have merely left you with a warning. If you value your safety as well as the safety of your workers, I suggest you leave."_

Would he kill? 

Emotions all over the spectrum, Alfred's eyes didn't leave the forest. Although he hadn't heard anything from that male in a while, Alfred felt as if his gaze was being met. 

No. . . 

Rather, Alfred was sure that a pair of large, green eyes were staring him down from within the depths of the forest. Unlike before, he felt nothing; no physical proof that someone was watching him. No shivering. No gut feeling. No spark. 

But Alfred felt his heart resonate with a feeling of familiarity. He couldn't really explain it, but he just knew that he was there. 

And he was watching.

"Alfred!"

Alfred turned to his cousin who was a few feet away from him and waving an arm. 

"We're all set to go! You ready?!" 

Alfred turned his back to the forest and walked to meet his cousin. "Start the machines!" He shouted back. "It's about time we got back on schedule."

And so the machines roared to life. The clanking of gears. The smell of smoke. Alfred was determined to have his way. 

But then the earth shook - an echo of the start of modern invasion. 

It could've easily been mistaken as the power of the engines. But they were shivers of sadness. The trembles of frustration.

As the ground shuddered and broke under the weight of steel and rubber, so did the heart of the Spirit of Green.


	8. Chapter 8

And yet there was nothing. 

The whole day went as planned and quite a bit of progress was made. They weren't quite caught up just yet but give it a few more days and the deadline would be within reach again. 

But that was why Alfred was worried.

After everything they had said - every threat that was made - the fact that the day went swimmingly caused nothing but give Alfred more anxiety. 

"Alfred, what's the matter?"

Alfred looked up at his cousin who raised an eyebrow at him from his seat on the couch. "Hm? What d'ya mean?" 

"You're pacing." 

Alfred looked down at the floor. Since when did he get up from his chair? He could've sworn he was sitting down just a second ago. 

"Something on your mind?" Matthew asked.

Alfred frowned pensively. "Well. . . everything worked out today."

Matthew snorted. "Uh, yeah. It did. Is that not what you wanted to happen?"

"No, no, that's not my point. I mean. . . It was just. . . I was expecting something bad to happen." 

"What? Why? Wait, don't tell me you're talking about that person you met in the forest, are you?" 

"Well, he threatened me! I expected him to go all out today or something since I didn't listen to him, but nothing happened," Alfred said.

"Maybe because you _imagined_ it all," Matthew insisted.

"I didn't! I swear!" Alfred huffed. "Why don't you believe me?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Maybe because I don't believe those things exist, Al! You're literally talking about how some ghost is trying to ruin our plans, what do you expect me to do?" 

"It'd be nice if you just _believed_ me."

"I don't believe in things I haven't seen."

Annoyed, Alfred grabbed his cousin's wrist and began to drag him towards the backdoor. "Fine! If you don't believe me, I'll just show you!"

"Wha-?! Alfred, let me go! It's almost dark out!" 

"We'll leave the lights on. We won't go far."

"Alfred, let go of me, geez!" 

"Not unless you believe me!" 

Ignoring his cousin's protests, Alfred dragged him deeper into the forest, following the cut-out path until he reached the edge of the construction site. 

_'This is where I heard my name being called,'_ Alfred thought. _'Now I know it was him all along! I wasn't imagining things!'_

He dropped his cousin's hand and Matthew rubbed his sore wrists. When it came to brute strength, Alfred was the last person in the world Matthew wanted to compete with. Although they had the same build, somehow Alfred had a lot more strength despite not working out consistently. "So? Why did you bring me here?"

"That night before the oil got stolen. . . When we came here, I heard someone calling my name." Alfred looked around, searching for the strange male. 

Matthew sighed. "Alfred, no one lives even close to here except for us. Who'd be calling your name?"

"That spirit, I'm telling you!" 

"Alfred, I already said-"

"OI!" Alfred shouted at the top of his lungs. "I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE!"

Matthew covered his ears at the sudden outburst. "Fuck, Alfred, what the hell's wrong with you?" 

"SHOW YOURSELF!" 

"Alfred, shut up!"

"I WON'T LOSE TO YOU, YA HEAR?!"

"Did you hit your head or something?! You're acting like a crazy person!" 

Alfred finally stopped yelling but frantically looked around, hoping for any kind of reaction. Matthew just kept gaping at his cousin's stupidity. 

"He should show up," Alfred insisted. "I swear he exists!"

Matthew pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to prevent the throbbing headache forcing its way out. His cousin going senile was the last thing he needed after a long day of work. "Okay, Alfred, even if this guy's real like you say he is, what makes you think he'll show up just because you shouted for him?"

There was a pause as the realization set in and Alfred let out a groan. "You're right, why would he want to see me anyway? I'm basically his enemy. Damn, I got too carried away. . ."

Matthew stared. "I'm seriously concerned about you, Al. Do you need to. . . see someone or-?" 

"I told you I'm not making things up!" Alfred shouted in frustration. 

The two stared each other down, neither giving in until a few seconds later when Matthew finally sighed, relenting. "Okay. Fine. Let's say he's real. Maybe he's decided to let you go."

"No way," Alfred shook his head. "He sounded damn determined to go through with his threats if I didn't listen."

"So why hasn't he done anything yet?"

Alfred pressed his lips together. "I don't know. . ."

Matthew sighed heavily. Did he still have headache medicine back home? If this was going to continue, he night need to stock up for a while. "For now, we'll take it as a good sign that nothing's happened, okay? We'll just go ahead with the project and if something happens, we'll deal with it then, okay?" 

Alfred hesitated before nodding but he still didn't look too happy about it. All that happened couldn't have just been empty threats, right? 

"What threats did he make anyway?" Matthew asked. "Out of curiosity." 

"He basically said he'd do anything to stop us from going through with the project. Taking the oil was just a warning, apparently, and he told me that if we treasure our lives and the lives of our workers, we should leave." 

Matthew raised his eyebrows, slightly impressed. "Those are some heavy threats."

"Yeah, no kidding. If he was human we could try prosecuting him or something for interrupting and trespassing, but. . ."

"He's a spirit?" Matthew finished.

"Exactly." Running a hand through his hair, Alfred sighed. "I kind of wish you were there, Matt. I couldn't believe my eyes. The way he looked. The way he controlled the trees. Man, now that I think about it, it was pretty cool."

"I just sincerely hope this is all just some elongated joke of yours. Because if there really is some sort of supernatural being out there to get us, it would be hard for us to fight back. . ." Matthew frowned at his own words. Oh god, what was he saying? Shaking his head, he shot his cousin a glare. "Actually, I rather this not be a joke or else I wouldn't forgive you for almost persuading me to believe you. Dealing with a ghost would be better than dealing with the stupidity of a grown-ass man." 

"Aw hey! Don't be mean. I wouldn't joke about something like this, especially when such a big project is on the line."

"I hope so." Matthew looked up. "Sun's almost down. C'mon, let's get back before we can't see anything."

"Right behind ya."

* * *

"------, ----!" 

Thick roots stretched into the crankcases of the machines and absorbed the fuel. With his feet sunken into the ground, the oil flowed through the roots, under the ground, and up into his body. 

"-----!"

"I. . . I'm fine," he panted, shooing the green bunny away. "I can handle more."

"-- --- ---- ----!" 

"I won't disappear. I won't. Not until they're gone. Not until they're _all_ gone." 

This land was _his_. If he needed to sacrifice his physical form in order to act as a container then so be it. 

"-----. . ."

He smiled at the winged bunny sitting on his shoulder. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this. But don't fret, I'm fine, really. I. . ." Suddenly, it was like the whole world was caving in. He collapsed to his knees and hit the ground with a heavy thud. 

"-----!"

Heavy panting. 

Blurry vision. 

_Agony._

"Damn it. . . I hadn't. . . cleansed myself completely yet. . ." He cursed. "What a fucking joke." Trying to push himself back onto his feet, he groaned in pain. "It's already been a week and I still can't cleanse it all from inside me. When did I get this weak?!"

"-----, ------. ---- ----!" 

". . . Looks like I don't have a choice. If they still don't stop after this, I'll have to find other ways of stopping them." He looked up at the night sky. But the moon wasn't merciful tonight and had hidden itself and its stars. 

_'Alfred. . . If I disappear. . . will you forget me again?'_

He sunk back into the earth to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

It wasn't until after lunch break did Alfred and the workers realize something was wrong. 

The machines had been fine up until then and everything went along smoothly. But just as Alfred was about to relax, considering it would've been the second day gone by without a spirit incident, their plans were halted once again.

Alfred and Matthew were going over the plans back in Tino's office when they noticed the sounds of construction outside stopping. Little by little, trees weren't falling anymore and the buzzing of saws fell silent. And then, a stir of confusion grew louder.

Matthew looked up from the table and out the window, frowning. "What's happening?" He and Alfred stood and together, they walked out to the core of the construction site where multiple workers were already starting to gather.

A cold weight dropped in Alfred's stomach as he walked closer. "Hey, what's going on?" He yelled out. "Why did everyone stop?"

One of the men sitting in a log processor opened the door and stepped out. "It wasn't because we wanted to, Mr. Jones," he said, gesturing to the machine's panel. "Apparently, we've all just run out of fuel. Again."

Matthew glanced over at his cousin who's eyes immediately darkened. Sighing heavily, the Canadian ran a hand through his hair and turned to the workers. "Alright, let's take another break and we'll see what's going on. Where's Tino?" Searching around for a little, the Finnish man could be seen making his way out of the deeper parts of the construction. "Tino!"

"All the machines are down!" The Finnish man shouted back. Closing the distance, he caught his breath. "All with the same problem too: fuel tanks are empty."

Matthew's frown deepened and Alfred turned his glare to the forest and clenched his teeth. 

"That bastard," he muttered.

Matthew looked to his cousin. "Al?" But before he could ask much more, Alfred decided to take matters back into his own hands.

"I'll be right back," he reassured. "Something's got to be done or this will never end." 

"Al?!" Matthew reached out to stop him but Alfred just waved him off. 

"Just chill for a bit! I'm going to check things out myself." Then he hiked his way up the dirt piles and into the untouched forest area, disappearing.

"Where's he going?" Tino asked, concerned. 

Pursing his lips together, Matthew let out a frustrated sigh and combed a hand through his hair. "To solve the problem himself, apparently."

"He knows the reason behind all this?"

"I'd like to think so," said Matthew. "Otherwise, he'll lose his job for playing such a horrible prank. I'll even personally fire him. Are the ones in storage still okay?"

"I think so. They weren't emptied this time around."

"Good. Then let's get back to work."

* * *

Panting, Alfred ran through the forest, following his memory and following those oh-so-familiar roots back to the clearing he had been in the few days before. Blood pumping in his ears, he gritted his teeth and fought against the physical strain and forced himself to breathe past the anger.

"Hey!" Alfred screamed out into the open. Barely giving himself the time to breathe, he paced around the area, eyes searching. "Oi, where are you?! I know you're out there!"

Hating the odd silence, it only made him even more pissed off. "Show yourself and answer for your actions, damn it!" 

But not a breeze nor a whisper was heard and the forest stayed silent for the first time since Alfred's arrival. Tsk-ing in annoyance, Alfred cursed and chewed the inside of his mouth to try and organize his thoughts. On one hand, what good would his threat do in the first place? He was practically powerless against this guy - this spirit - or whatever. Was there even a possibility to make a deal with him? This guy was asking for the impossible so there couldn't be any room for pushing and pulling even if Alfred wanted there to be. 

Alfred's thoughts were then interrupted by a strange noise - an odd string of twinkling and bubbling noises to his side. 

Looking to his left, he saw a winged bunny floating a few feet away from him, its fur a shade of mint-green. 

Alfred blinked and gaped. A spark of recognition gutted him in the lungs as the bunny flew closer to him, circling around his head a few times before using its mouth to tug on his sleeve. Before he even had time to piece together that odd sense of familiarity, the strange animal began to pull harder on his sleeve in urgency. 

"Hey, let go," Alfred said but hesitating to pull his arm away in fear of hurting the small creature. "What's going on? Did something happen?"

The bunny didn't release the sleeve but nodded, much to Alfred's awe. This thing could understand him. 

"I feel like. . . I've seen you before," said Alfred. The bunny nodded again but its tugs grew more forceful, enough to raise Alfred's arm up. "Are you trying to take me somewhere?" 

It didn’t bother with nodding anymore and let go of Alfred's sleeve. Letting out what sounded like an annoyed squeak, it turned and flew back in the opposite direction.

Alfred snapped out of his déjà vu. "Ah, wait! Where are you going?" He ran after it with haste. 

Alfred lost track of how long he had been running. The forest flew by him in a green blur, thickening in density and colour. The raw sound of twigs snapping and his ragged breathing deafened his ears. A symphony of leaves rustling replaced the rush the wind that had disappeared. And the deeper Alfred let himself get swallowed by the forest, the more the feeling of cold dread dug its presence into his stomach. 

He finally stopped running when the bunny flew too far out of his sight. Feeling as if his lungs were about to collapse, Alfred coughed and heaved with his hands on his knees. _'God, I haven't run that much since college,'_ he thought with a wry laugh. 

Something had happened to _him_. That was for certain. 

Alfred had figured that if a magical forest creature that wasn't supposed to exist came out of nowhere from the depths of the green, it was undoubtedly related to that spirit. But Alfred had to question his own actions.

Why had he chased after it so readily? 

That guy was practically an enemy. He has no qualms using the lives of his coworkers as a threat against him. Who knew what he could've done, luring him so deep into the forest? Alfred could've lost his own life for all he knew. 

And yet without a breath of hesitation, he ran after the bunny as if nothing else in the world mattered to him. 

Straightening, Alfred looked around, wiping away his sweat and rolling up his sleeves. With the trees stretching higher than the tallest skyscrapers back in the city, Alfred felt as if he had been transported to another dimension. Had the canopy always been so vast? Even the trunks were thick enough for several people to encircle it, its bark engraved with moss and fungi. Alfred didn't remember this forest being that old. 

The smell of dew and moisture was intoxicating; suffocating even. But at the same time, Alfred had never seen anything clearer. The mystical surrounding was enough to make his heart freeze painfully in his chest and the old regret returned.

 _This_ is what he'll be destroying? 

A strange noise that sounded like broken hiccups and bells drew his attention back to reality and he turned to the sound. A good distance away from him was the flying bunny, circling over a small area at the base of a giant tree. 

Curious, Alfred walked towards it. When he saw just who it was collapsed on the ground, he broke into a run. 

"Hey!" He kneeled by the spirit's body, his eyes widening at the sight. "Hey, what happened? You okay!?" 

The blond was lying on his side, unconscious. But what startled Alfred the most was that the body was half submerged into the ground, the skin closest to the dirt seemingly melting into a bark-like texture, brown in colour. An array of flowers and weeds were growing from the rest of his exposed body. From the man's shirtless back sprouted long stems of flora, and patches of wildflowers wrapped around his abdomen like fog. The contamination continued to his legs, fusing his crossed limbs into one. 

And he was deathly still. So very still. Without any signs of breathing, the spirit looked more like a statue than a living entity.

For a second, Alfred's hands hovered over the man in uncertainty. He tried to keep calling to him but there came no response. Desperate and bewildered, Alfred threw away whatever held him back and just grabbed around the body. Digging his hands into the dirt, Alfred tried his best to wrap his hands around the man's back and shoulders - around the flower growth - and pulled him free from the ground with great effort. Literally uprooting the man, the body came free with a final tug and Alfred landed on his back with the spirit on top of him. 

"Oof." Alfred sat back up and cradled the man in his arms. He watched in awe as any remaining roots retracted back into the man's skin. "Hey, you alive?" He called out, heart in his throat. Can people like him even die in the first place? "Oi!" 

Then the man shifted in his arms. 

For what seemed like hours, Alfred watched the bark-half of the man's face smooth back out into skin, returning to its normal colour. His legs unfused and limply separated as they untangled from their crossed position. And as Alfred held his breath, afraid to utter a sound, those bright green eyes slowly opened.  


They blinked, sleepy and dazed. Then they looked up and met his. 

Shades of green and vibrant gold melted with the blue and violet of the sky. And the two halves completed the earth. 

At that moment, engulfed in the forest of those eyes, Alfred lost himself. His own heartbeat felt alien to his ears and he almost felt annoyed at how loud the blood coursed through his ears. Chained to the silence and those hazy, unfocused eyes, Alfred felt as if he had grown roots of his own. He suddenly became very aware of how small the man's frame was as he embraced him and how cool his skin felt to the touch. His heart sped up and his mouth dried. 

This was bad. 

But then those green eyes focused and emotions flooded its depths, clouding the purity of colour with uncertainty and confusion. The male quickly sat up. Alfred didn’t stop him. 

". . . Why are you here?" 

Alfred almost laughed. He wanted to know that answer himself. Instead, he looked to the green bunny that had made its way to the spirit's side. "I think I was asked to come. I followed your friend over there and found you." 

The male turned to the bunny nuzzling his arm and gently pet it to comfort it. "Did you worry about me?" When it chirped, the spirit smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I lost myself."

"So? Why were you like that?" 

The spirit cast Alfred a sidelong glare. "It's none of your business," he said curtly. 

"As if. I ran all the way here and even saved your ass."

"Then I apologize for troubling you. I had no intention of bringing you here." 

"That still doesn't change the fact that I saved you."

"And who ever said I needed saving?"

"Your bunny apparently did," Alfred snorted. When the spirit said nothing to counter, Alfred huffed. "And what, you're saying you didn't need any saving?"

There was a tense pause before the other male answered. "I would've been fine on my own. I didn't need any help let alone the help of an unreliable human such as yourself." 

"Unreliable?!" Alfred felt his annoyance begin to resurface. "What right do you have to call me unreliable?! I don't even know you!" 

"It's _because_ you think you don't know me that I have every right to call you unreliable!" In his surge of anger, the spirit rushed to stand. But his legs hadn't recovered and they instantly collapsed under him.

And Alfred scrambled to catch him before he hit the floor. 

A thousand thoughts ran through each of their heads at the very moment they touched. Emotions strung tighter than a bow sparked with fire. 

Confusion. Fear. Shock.

Sorrow. Hesitation. Longing.

Neither moved from their position. The awkward tangle of limbs as Alfred landed on his knees and the other male fell forward into the human's chest. Neither moved. 

Alfred couldn't understand. Not this guy nor himself - why he moved the way he did, why he feels the way he feels, why holding him was so comfortable. 

"I-. . ." His voice cracked and he swallowed. "I. . . used to know you, didn't I?" It was rhetoric so Alfred didn't wait for a response. He continued. "I had a feeling. . . because you and that bunny seem really goddamn familiar to me. . . but I can't for the life of me figure out why. So I'm serious, I honestly can't remember anything about you and. . . I'm sorry if I've hurt your feelings or whatever, but. . . I honestly can't remember you."

The smaller male hesitated for a second before he slowly pushed his face away from Alfred's chest. The sound of leaves and flora brushing against each other mellowed out the silence as he shifted. Staring right into Alfred's eyes, he searched. For what, Alfred didn't know. But with him looking like he was going to cry, Alfred felt his heart tug painfully in his chest. 

Then the spirit looked to the side, pensive. "I. . . apologize," he said. "For you to see me in such a sorry state is quite. . . unsightly. I'm. . . actually grateful that you woke me."

A little confused at the change of demeanor (and pleasantly surprised to see the guy being so uncertain) Alfred just nodded. "You're welcome. . . I guess?" 

"If I could ask you for a favour. Um. . . would you mind getting rid of the flowers on my back?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for your continued support! Happy New Year to you all!


	10. Chapter 10

Alfred blinked, stammering a bit before answering with a strangled, "Sure." It had been a morning of emotional whirlwind, so why not add pruning a spirit's back to the list? 

The spirit lifted himself off Alfred's legs and turned his back to him, displaying the whole array of flowers on his back. -Alfred was mildly surprised at the variety - the assortment of shapes and colours blooming before him - but the ethereality of it all didn't quite hit him until he actually parted a few with his hands and saw how the roots reached underneath the spirit's pale skin. They mimicked human veins and raised the skin as they carved their path inside.

Alfred felt a shiver run up his spine. This guy really _wasn't_ human. 

He cleared his throat to steel his nerves. "Do I just. . . pull them out?" 

"Yes," came the soft reply. "And I'd appreciate it if you could do so gently." 

"Hm." Thoughtful, Alfred took hold of a lavender stalk and gently tugged at it, testing. But seeing how it pulled the skin, Alfred continued to stall with a hard swallow. "Isn't this going to hurt you?"

". . . It'll feel as if you're plucking a hair, nothing more." 

"But they're so large," fretted Alfred. "Are you sure?"

"Quite."

Gritting his teeth to mentally prepare himself, Alfred tightened his grip on the lavender stalk. Fighting off the feeling to look away, he held his breath. . . and pulled.

To his surprise, the stem broke off easily, leaving behind scarred skin. It looked more like a healing burn rather than a gaping wound like Alfred had predicted. But the hiss of pain that followed made Alfred realize that a certain someone had lied to him.

"This _is_ hurting you, isn't it?" 

The response was too quick and evidently strained despite the spirit's denials. "Does it not hurt humans when a hair is pulled from their heads?"

"Not as bad as you made it sound, at least."

". . . I was just surprised, that's all." 

Alfred scoffed and set the lavender to the side. "Right. Even though I had already asked if you were sure about it?"

The man let out an irritated sigh. "Look, are you going to help me or not? If you're so bothered by it, I'll do it myself."

"No no! I'm fine with helping, it's just that-. . . Is there no other way?"

The spirit turned his large green eyes to glance at Alfred over his shoulder before looking away with a sigh. A slim hand tenderly brushed at the ones drooped over his shoulder. "These flowers are doing more harm to me than good, so I'd rather have them removed before they grow any more than they already have."

"But the pain-"

"Is temporary. I've been alive for a very long time and this wouldn't be the first that I've been subjected to this." Shifting his position to turn his body to Alfred, the spirit studied the hesitant look that was still on his face. "Are you able to do it or not?"

"I-. . . I'll do it. Here turn around."

But he didn't, long enough so that Alfred met his eyes in confusion. Those bright eyes held every amount of caution and curiosity when he asked, "Are you that bothered that it'll hurt me?" His tone was strangely gentle, but the hesitation was there.

Not sure whether it was a loaded question or not, Alfred decided to answer honestly. "Well, it's not like I _enjoy_ inflicting pain on other people."

"Even if I'm your enemy?" 

"Enemy or not, I don't like hurting people." 

The spirit looked down and away from the blinding sincerity darkening those blue hues. "And yet you have already killed so many of us. . ."

"What?"

"Nothing." The spirit reached over his shoulder to the root of a white trillium. "If you're that uncomfortable with it, I'll just do it myself." 

Alfred panicked. "Ah, wait!" He grabbed his hand before he could stop himself, earning a startled look from the spirit. Realizing how evasive his touch must've been, Alfred quickly let go and struggled to cough up his words. "Um. . . I just mean, is there no other way to go do this? I mean. . . do I have to pull them out? Would it help if I cut them instead?"

After the initial surprise faded, the spirit focused on processing the proposition (rather than trying to ignore how tight his chest felt). "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what would happen. I've never had the chance to try, after all. It's not as if there are knives in this forest at my disposal."

"Then do you mind if I try?" Alfred rummaged around his pocket and brought out his pocketknife. "Ah, but don't take this the wrong way!" He panicked. "I'm not going to try and stab you or anything."

The spirit let out a snort and turned around to allow him access to his backside. "I doubt someone who's too scared to pull out a flower will resort to committing murder." 

Alfred stammered. "It's not that I’m scared," he argued. "I just. . . don't want to hurt you." He saw the spirit stiffen at his words and there came no reply.

Ignoring the awkward feeling, Alfred shuffled closer. Taking the trillium in one hand, he pushed the flowers surrounding it away with the other to gain access to its stem. When his fingers brushed the roots embedded in the skin, a shiver ran through the spirit's body and he visibly trembled. 

Alfred swallowed and his hands momentarily froze. 

Well. . . that was almost endearing. 

. . .

_'Get your shit together, Al.'_

Trying to regain focus, Alfred tightened his grip on his pocketknife and with a flick of his wrists,

 _Snip_

The flower came off. 

Alfred lay the flower beside the lavender stalk. "Did that hurt?" He asked cautiously. There had been no immediate reaction, but Alfred wanted to make sure it wasn't just the guy holding in the pain. 

"That. . . didn't hurt a bit, actually." 

Alfred saw how the man's shoulders quickly relaxed and his smile grew. So this guy had been pretty nervous despite his stubborn appearance.

Cute. 

"Awesome. I'll keep going then." 

_Snip. Snip. Snip._

A few minutes in, Alfred asked, "Since I'm not pulling them out, is it okay that there's still some stubs left? I uh. . . Tried to cut it as close to the skin as possible but. . ."

"Have you decided to pull them out then?"

"No! No, I-. . . still don't want to but. . . I'm just worried they're keep growing out or something. You don't want that right?"

"I. . . suppose I have yet to find out since I've never cut them off before. But I would like to prevent them from re-growing, yes."

"Oh, okay." _Snip._ "Well, I can always come by to cut them again if you'd like," Alfred said easily. 

_Snip._

The silence suddenly turned rigid. 

". . . Oh, you could, could you?" 

Processing the man's flat tone, Alfred realized the meaning behind his words. The weight of his promise hit him like a sack of bricks and his hands faltered for a second before he struggled to regain composure. 

_Snip._

"I-I mean, we can make a deal if you want. I'll cut these off for you if they grow back if you leave the construction project alone," Alfred attempted to bargain. 

The spirit straightened his back. "I'd rather pull them out myself rather than surrender my land."

Alfred sighed. Well, it had been worth a try.

_Snip. Snip. Snip._

_Snip._

A few more minutes passed in silence as Alfred organized his thoughts while he cut away. Every time his fingers directly grazed the skin, it felt as if a shock ran through them and up his arm. It took all of Alfred's willpower to keep his hands from shaking. 

_'What are you getting all nervous for all of a sudden? Stop it, Al.'_

Several more minutes passed before Alfred finally cut off the last flower. The stumps left behind looked like freckles on the spirit's otherwise flawless back, varied in patterns like stars. Scanning over his handiwork, Alfred felt a little regretful. Not because he had cut off all the beautiful flora that had been growing, but because their peaceful moment was now over. He had worked in silence, listening to nothing but the soft sighs of the forest. Without any verbal cues, Alfred was able to really _feel_.

Every time his hands brushed the skin. How the spirit would slightly flinch when his touch lingered by his neck and the base of his spine. How his back would sometimes arch with sensitivity. 

Alfred found himself secretly wanting more. 

But instead, he put away his pocketknife. "Alright, all done," he announced. He tried not to stare when the spirit stretched. As for why Alfred felt so flustered thinking that a man's back was attractive, he'd rather not think too much about it.

"I suppose I owe you my thanks," the spirit said, standing and examining himself. Touching the patches of short wildflowers circling part of his abdomen, he sighed. "I'll deal with the rest of this later." 

"Doesn't this mean you owe me one now?" Alfred chuckled. He meant it as a joke so he was surprised when the spirit actually thought to consider it, albeit reluctantly.

"It would have to depend on the type of payback you have in mind. Because if it's of more value than you pruning my back, I will have to decline."

"Would it be too much to ask you to lay off the project?" When all Alfred got was a dirty look, he raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, nevermind." 

"If nothing comes to mind now then I suggest you hold on to the thought until you come up with something. But if it's something to do with your-" Abruptly, he stopped talking and his gaze shifted out into the distance. Alfred didn't miss the shift in atmosphere accompanied and the spirit's tense stance. The man was frowning.

"Is something wrong?" Even without an answer, Alfred already had a hunch. After all, the only thing that was in that direction was the construction site. Why else would the spirit have such fiery eyes narrowing in that direction?

The spirit made a frustrated growl deep in his throat and Alfred swear he felt the ground around him tremble. "Looks like your people have resumed their work. My efforts have been wasted."

Studying him for a bit, Alfred stood as well. Images of how the spirit was half-absorbed into the earth kept haunting his memory. "Hey, I'm just curious but. . . were you unconscious because you sucked up our oil?"

Green eyes quickly snapped to him. "What makes you think that?"

"Just a hunch," was Alfred's simple answer. With all that hate towards the project - all the attempts to stop their progress - it couldn't have been good to take in all that oil. So Alfred asked again. "Well? Am I wrong?" The look he got in return was cold and accusing, but that only made it more obvious that he had guessed right.

"And if I say that you're not wrong? What exactly will you do?" The spirit challenged. "Stop the construction?"

"You know I can't do that."

"Oh, yes you can," he scoffed. "You can but you won't."

"It's my job," argued Alfred. "And I'm doing it for a good cause. Do you really expect me to give up the project and deny hundreds of people their homes? Just so you can survive?"

A wave of anger contorted the spirit's face. "Just so _I_ can survive? Do you have any idea how many of us you've already killed?! How many of my kind I've had to watch disappear just because humans like you can't find better places to live?!" He accused, green eyes blazing. The wind picked up and the trees groaned ominously. "Humans like you have choices, Alfred. _I don't._ This forest is not only my home but my lifeline. The moment it's destroyed, so am I. So _forgive me_ for wanting to live," he spat out sarcastically. 

"But we don't know that people like you exist!" Alfred tried to reason. But he'd be lying if he didn't already feel the guilt driving a stake through his heart. "If people knew then-"

"If humans knew about us, would they act any differently? Don't be so naïve. It wouldn't change much and you know it."

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it? How many animals have already died for the sake of human development? How many living organisms have been wiped to extinction through the crossfire? Nature and humans can never perfectly coexist, Alfred, so who is it that ends up taking the brunt of the damage? _Us._ "

"Then what do you expect us to do?!" 

"You misunderstand me, Alfred," he scoffed. "I'm not asking humans to change their behaviour. I'm asking _you_ to do something different. Something _right._ Call. Off. This. Project."

Alfred stood his ground, ignoring how his heart was tearing in two. "But what if I believe that what I'm doing is right too? What if I believe that to make the world a better place, I need to sacrifice the environment to build affordable housing for my people?" 

Staring right into each other's eyes, the tension grew thick in the silence. Then the spirit replied bitterly, "Then it looks like an agreement between us will never be reached. I was wrong to put my faith in you." Turning on his heels, the spirit began to walk away. "Consider this my final warning, Alfred. Up until now, I've been playing nice. But if after one week, you still refuse to end the construction, I will no longer be held responsible for any harm that may come to you or your workers."

"You-!"

"Goodbye, Alfred."

A storm of leaves rapidly engulfed Alfred's vision, forcing him to cover his face to protect himself against the sharp debris. When all was quiet again and he dropped his arms, Alfred found himself back in the small clearing close to the construction site. Gone were the giant trees and life-like air. 

The only things that remained were the distant sounds of falling trees and a terrible feeling of guilt deeply embedded in Alfred's gut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos! As always, feel free to let me know your thoughts.


	11. Chapter 11

Alfred had a strange dream that night. 

Back in the familiar forest behind his cousin's house, he was alone and had returned to his childhood body. Oh, how small his body was and how grand everything around him looked. The forest around him was a blur of warm sunshine and mild green, and the air was thick with sweetness and dew. 

Unable to control his movements, Alfred watched the dream unfold before him like a movie, his limbs moving with familiarity but feeling nothing more than a puppet on strings. His feet spun with childish glee, his eyes blinded by the rays of light seeping through the canopy above him. Deeply inhaling, his lungs were filled with rich warmth. 

_"Alfred."_

He lowered his head and looked towards the sound, searching. 

_"Alfred."_

And his eyes met him. With the wind stirring his hair and rustling the leaves that grew from within him, oh, how _magical_ he looked. Those large green eyes freckled with light and fervor bore into his. The feeling of completeness as they smiled at each other, igniting something within them with no less intensity than if the earth reached up to embrace the blue of the sky. 

And how that sky willingly fell back to the earth to meet it.

Alfred felt his youthful cheeks stretch into a wide smile and he ran towards the spirit. 

_"______!"_

. . .

And Alfred opened his eyes, the sound of the man's name being called so eagerly by his child self still resonating within his mind. His ears rang from the echo. His heart raced in the wake of his happiness. 

With a groan, Alfred sat up in his bed. The comfort of his dream was fading and the guilt from the night before returned to haunt him. 

_Arthur._

So his name was _Arthur_. 

Alfred had no idea how his brain had managed to pull that out from the depths of his lost memories, but remembering it didn't do much to tend to his twisting stomach. If anything, the grips of guilt only increased their torture. 

So in the darkness of dawn - the stars having yet to hide away their light - Alfred let the silence settle on his nerves. Cooled off and still, he let the ripples of his dream gently stir the buried memories hidden under years of all the others. Pushing aside the recent ones, the blurry images of green and tears and fear and relief sewed themselves back together, creating an almost unrecognizable recollection. 

Alfred checked the time. Barely past five in the morning. But that meant it was already past eight in New York. 

Throwing on a part of sweats, he grabbed his phone from off the charger and went down the stairs to the backyard. Breathing in the fresh smell of the greenery, Alfred groaned as he stretched out the soreness of sleep from his body. With his eyes trained on the barely lit path running into the depths of the forest, Alfred put on his runners and turned on his phone to look through his contacts.

It was time to give his mother a call.

* * *

The darkness had turned a murky navy by the time Alfred finished his call, the sky tinged orange and yellow with the impending sun awakening from the horizon. 

The beaten path had long disappeared. 

Walking through uncharted territory, Alfred had already past the construction site, continuing in an unknown direction. And yet, he wasn't scared. Rather, he granted his body freedom as his mind was too busy humming from all the pieces coming together. 

. . .

_"Alfred? I'm surprised you're calling me so early. Is something the matter?"_

_"Nah, nothing serious," Alfred said, smiling. His mother always was the type to worry quickly. "I didn't wake you or anything, did I?"_

_He heard his mother snort a laugh at the other end of the phone. "Honey, I'd be blessed if I could sleep until this late. Once you're my age, you can't simply just sleep in anymore."_

_"Aw, c'mon Mom, you're not that old."_

_"You're sweet," she laughed. "So? What's on your mind? Shouldn't it be five in the morning over there?"_

_Alfred worried his inner cheek. "This is going to seem really random but. . . when I was younger and we came here to visit. . . Did I ever meet anyone?"_

. . .

Alfred maneuvered himself around some fallen branches and uprooted trunks. The sound of crickets grew louder as he walked over some puddles and avoided the mud. Brushing past some overgrown ferns, he was surprised to find a large lake spread out in the clearing. 

. . .

_"Meet anyone?" She echoed. Thinking to herself for a little while, Alfred could hear the rustling of her hair as she shook her head. "Other than the townspeople, no one that's made a lasting impression, no. You were always too busy playing in the forest to go into town too often anyway. Oh, how you always loved that forest."_

_Alfred smiled. "I loved any forests."_

_"But you had something very special with that particular forest. Maybe it's because you and Matthew played it in so often but you never had the same excitement you did whenever we went camping or hiking elsewhere." Alfred laughed with her._

_Then she gave a content sigh. "Or maybe it's because that's where you always played with your friend. Now, what was his name. . . Oh yes! Your friend Arthur!"_

_The laugh suddenly went and died in Alfred's throat._

. . . 

Standing in the center of that mirror-like lake was a single person, his back turned. Swallowed up by the dark water up to his abdomen, the paleness of his skin seemed to glow under the haze of dawn. His golden hair, frozen with never-ending wind despite there not being a single breeze, had leaves nestled in those wild strands. 

. . .

_Alfred swallowed hard at the name. "Arthur?"_

_Oblivious to her son's discomfort, she continued excitedly, remembering the days of Alfred's childhood fondly. "Oh yes!" She chirped. "You used to always tell me you were running off to play with someone named Arthur in the forest. But when I asked Matthew if you really had made a new friend, he always told me he could never see anyone and that you were just talking to an imaginary friend._

_"You were always so sad whenever we had to leave for home and you would always tell me you didn't want to leave Alfred behind. I thought, well, if he was an imaginary friend, why he couldn't just come with us. And you replied that it's because this forest was his home and that he couldn't leave his home behind."_

_"Did. . . I ever mention anything else about Arthur?"_

_"Hm. . . Oh yes, there was one more thing."_

_Alfred tried to keep his voice from shaking. "What is it?"_

_"You said something like when you grew up, you were going to make the world a better place. That way, you could protect Arthur and his forest from people who wanted to hurt him." She giggled. "I just remember how cute you were, looking so determined. I'm surprised you don't remember."_

_". . .Yeah," Alfred choked out. "I'm surprised I don't remember either."_

_"Is there a reason why you ask?"_

_Alfred shook his head. "No," he lied. "No reason at all."_

. . . 

Alfred walked closer. 

He was surprised to find a pond here but he wasn't the least bit surprised to find _him_ here. Rather, it's like ever since he came back he's been aware of someone watching him. And ever since he woke up from his dream and remembered his name, it's like there's been a reconnection of some sort - something that made Alfred painfully aware of this spirit's existence and his overwhelming presence. 

And considering how he walked here with no aim in mind, it's as if his body _knew_ he would be here.

Alfred walked to the edge of the pond. 

"Arthur."

It wasn't a declaration. It wasn't a confirmation. The way Alfred said the spirit's name was quieter than a prayer and didn't have much substance to it. 

But that call alone, weak but certain, was enough to jolt the statue standing the lake back to life. 

As if the gears inside his body remembered how to work again, the stillness of the lake rippled at his movements. Arthur turned around, his green eyes wider than normal and glassy with emotion. . . But they were soon forced back down into mildness.

For a long time, the spirit searched Alfred's face, looking for something, _anything_ to confirm that it wasn't a dream and that he hadn't hallucinated hearing his name. The very fact that Alfred was here in an unknown place before normal waking hours was already enough to question his sanity.

"You remembered?" Damn, his voice was quivering.

Alfred's stare didn't leave his. As a human, the blue of his eyes couldn't be seen in the darkness and they didn't emit an ethereal glow like spirits did, but Arthur could imagine that if the light did reach Alfred's eyes and reveal their colour. . .

He would surely drown.

He could already feel his very core burning from the stare's intensity already. 

"How did you remember?" He asked, slowly moving his way towards him, afraid the water would overshadow Alfred's answer. He may be a part of the earth but it wasn't like he could silence its waters. 

"I. . . had a dream last night," Alfred answered, looking away to remember. "Or actually, it was more of a memory than a dream." 

"Oh?"

"It was. . . when I was a child. I was playing in the forest." He looked back up at Arthur. "And you were calling out to me."

"That's how you remembered my name?" Arthur stepped out of the lake a few feet away to Alfred's side. The trickling was silenced and the water disappeared into the spirit's skin. 

"The child me. . . called out to you." Alfred gripped the sides of his pants. "And when I woke up, nothing was clearer than the sound of your name in my head." It was so clear and obvious that Alfred felt oddly ashamed that he hadn't remembered it sooner. Something about that name held so much importance to it despite not remembering it for several years.

"So that's why you called your mother?"

Alfred turned to him, startled. "How did you-?!" And then he quickly realized the man was naked. The words caught in his throat and he ripped his eyes away before they strayed too long. "H-How did you know I called my mom?" He stuttered, forcing himself to finish his question. 

"Have you forgotten that you were in my forest? I can see and hear everything the moment you're in my territory, remember?"

"Oh. R-Right." Alfred didn't see, but Arthur raised an amused eyebrow at his immature reaction. 

"Do human males usually get this embarrassed seeing another male's body?" 

Alfred's face bloomed a deeper red and he rushed to meet Arthur's teasing - but otherwise stoic - expression as if trying to prove otherwise. And no, his eyes did _not_ scan downwards. "W-Who said anything about b-being embarrassed?!" He blurted. 

Arthur chuckled and he pulled on what looked like a patch of moss from a rotting log. From mid-air, he weaved a grassy cloth from its material and easily wrapped it around his waist. The patch of moss looked untouched - as if he had just copied and pasted it into a different form. Alfred couldn't help but stare with childish awe. 

After Arthur secured the cloth, he turned his owlish eyes to Alfred, observing him in silence. That unreadable expression - or an expression that had too many emotions to read - still defaulted on his face. Sighing as if he had just internally had a long argument with himself, Arthur walked towards and past Alfred's side. 

"Come with me, Alfred. This time, we'll have a _real_ talk," he murmured. "And it's about time I explain to you what it really means to be a spirit of this forest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I badly sprained my ankle...Guess that means more frequent updates??? LOL Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DON'T play sad music when reading this. It might make you cry...
> 
> ...Or maybe I'm just weak but it sure made my heart hurt...

It was a long time before Arthur spoke. And by the time he did, Alfred had already followed him uphill long enough for the lake to disappear behind them. 

"Yesterday, I mentioned that this forest is my lifeline," Arthur started softly. Then he laughed dryly. "Although I'm not sure you remember since I spat the information into your face in the heat of the moment."

Alfred let himself ease into a smile. With how calm the morning air felt at this moment, it was hard to believe they had such a heated argument the day before. Was it because he had remembered some of his memories of Arthur? Or was it because the musky air of dawn and darkness soothed away his nerves? Alfred wasn't sure. 

But he _did_ know that being with Arthur right now, walking slightly behind him, felt comfortable and _right_. So right that it almost scared him. 

"Yeah, I remember. I sort of get the picture but I wouldn't mind an explanation." Alfred ran a hand through his hair with a laugh. "I'm kind of tired of guessing and trying to figure you out by myself. It'd be nice if you actually told me stuff now." 

"Well," Arthur huffed, "I _apologize_ if I came off as cryptic. It wasn't my intention. I was just under the assumption that I was talking to someone who _remembered_ me." 

Feeling the auditory jab to his guilt, Alfred laughed it off. "I was just kiddin' around. Don't take me too seriously."

"Maybe if you took things more seriously we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Hey now, I-"

"I know," Arthur cut him off. A smile evident in his voice. "I was just kidding."

Alfred blinked and tried not to stare. Wow, this guy had a sense of _humour_?! Having stopped in his tracks from the initial surprise, Alfred shook himself out of a daze and quickened his pace to catch up. 

When Alfred caught up, they had already broken through the thick of the forest, arriving at a cliff looking out over the ocean. They weren't more than a few feet above the water, its waves lapping against the rock with a soothing sound. Standing there was like there was no one else in the world but them. As if time had frozen and nothing else mattered but just _being_ there.

Arthur sat, crossing his legs as he stared out into the horizon. The sky was slowly becoming more yellow than blue as the night made way for the sun. Alfred sat next to him, trying to decide whether it'd be better to look out into the hidden sunrise just as Arthur was, or look to the spirit expectedly. In the end, he settled with glancing at him from the corner of his eyes.

For the first time since he saw him, Alfred realized that the spirit didn't look as ethereal as he remembered him to be. Maybe it was because the light was drawing out more shadows on his face. Maybe it was because his face was motionless. But when Arthur spoke, his rich voice hoarse with emotion and truth, Alfred realized just how much the spirit was laying bare to him - how vulnerable he was making himself. 

So when Arthur began to talk, Alfred listened. 

"This material form that you see me in right now is only an embodiment of this forest. My true body is the forest itself. Every tree is my organ. Every root is my vein. The life that runs through this forest is what allows this body to be fabricated and alive. The me you see now is only an attachment of all this green.

"What connects this body and the forest is what you humans call a 'soul'. My very presence; my being; my existence. My _voice_. . . Without this body I wouldn't be able to communicate with anyone outside my kind and yet, I'd still exist. As long as this forest stands, I'm _alive_. 

"But creating this body is extremely consuming if the forest doesn't have enough strength. And if a physical body can no longer be sustained, then the soul returns to live in the forest, unable to escape, unable to move, and unable to fight." Arthur turned his piercing gaze to Alfred. "Which is why I'm still fighting, Alfred. I created this body all those years ago just to meet you because I had hope. I put my faith in you that you'd make a difference in the human world like you promised." He fell quiet and turned away. "So imagine my distress when you returned, only to be the leader of a project set out to destroy me." 

"Arthur, I-"

"I know." He didn't let him finish. "You forgot. It was foolish of me to put so much trust in a human child anyway so I'm also partially to blame." 

Alfred was silent, unsure how to respond. But Arthur hadn't been expecting an answer and continued, his voice quieter than before. 

"I've witnessed so many deaths of my people, Alfred." He looked down at his lap, as if shrinking in on himself. Alfred was afraid the spirit was going to be swallowed back up by the earth in order to run away, but Arthur continued. "For centuries, we used to freely visit each other, connected by the earth. How noisy it would be whenever we all tried to talk to each other, excited about the littlest things," he laughed softly, remembering. "We would argue about whose leaves had the prettiest shades of red; compete over who had the tallest trees or ripest fruit. How much _fun_ we had just chasing after each other in the wind. I remember it all. . ." 

Arthur's voice faded off, withdrawing himself back into reality before his mind became happily blinded by the past. "But one by one they began to disappear. First they would voice their concerns, worried about what the humans were doing to their land. Many became sick and were unable to form their physical bodies. But at least they were _alive_. . . It wasn't long until all I could hear were their screams.

"They were so loud. . . So many. . . So sudden. . . And then there was nothing. Their land, their forest. . . _everything_ had been completely erased. Not a single tree was left and their lives. . . Their souls-. . ." Arthur swallowed. Unable to finish his sentence, he tried to use words that didn't tear his insides apart. But when revealing the story of how his friends had died after keeping silent for hundreds of years, the agony was unavoidable.

Arthur gripped at his chest. The lack of a heartbeat almost making him laugh through his tears. He may not have a beating heart but it sure hurt like he did. 

"I used to think that our souls could never die. Through fire, disease, and ice we've all managed to stay alive even if the only thing left was a single sapling. But when I couldn't hear their voices anymore. . . When the voices of my family and friends were _silenced_ so quickly. . ." Arthur choked and the anger rose. "When I couldn't do anything but _watch_ as they _cried_ and _screamed_ for help, how did you think I felt?! What could I have done?! The fear that I felt upon realizing that even spirits like us could die. . ." Arthur looked at Alfred, tears wetting his cheeks and his eyes blown wide. 

"I'm _scared_."

Without a second thought, Alfred reached out and bundled Arthur into his arms. 

"Arthur." The spirit made a noise to answer but Alfred hadn't uttered the spirit's name to add words after it. So he cried it again. 

"Arthur."

An apology for his own actions.

"Arthur."

An apology for forgetting.

"Arthur."

An apology for hearing the spirit's story and all the suffering he must've went through.

_"Arthur."_

He was here. He was _alive_. Alfred had him in his arms and he could _feel_ him.

Alfred felt a hand reach up to brush the back of his head, comfortingly patting his hair. A sigh, warm and loving, tickled his ear as the first light of day engulfed them.

_"Alfred."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to write more after but...I think I need to go lie down for a bit.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A continuation from the previous chapter.

While holding each other, it was no different than letting themselves melt into one another. Now that everything had been told out into the open, Alfred was a little uncertain at how to move forward. Complete acceptance was one thing, but the heaviness of the impending choices to be made were another. 

Arthur slowly shifted himself out of Alfred's embrace, distracting Alfred from his internal conflict. Still sniffling a little, Arthur rubbed away the tear stains on his cheeks and whispered a shaky, "Thank you," his voice still hoarse from emotion. 

Letting the spirit recover, Alfred decided to ask about something different. "So are there any more spirits like you out there?"

"Yes," Arthur nodded, his shoulders relaxing in relief. "Very few now, but they're alive." Then in his eyes, something sparked, reflecting the light of the morning sun. He turned to Alfred. "Would you like to meet them?"

Alfred blinked. "Meet who?"

"The other spirits," Arthur said, leaning forward from all his building eagerness. 

"I-I can?" Alfred asked, bewildered. " _Can_ I?" Was it even possible? Weren't they in completely far off places?

Nodding, Arthur reached out for Alfred's hand and stood, pulling him to follow. "Come."

Carefully making their way back downhill towards the lake, Arthur never let go of Alfred's hand. The feeling of déjà vu was still strong as ever, but now that Alfred had regained some fragments of his memory, he fully accepted that familiar, comforting touch. Repositioning his hand, Alfred wrapped his fingers around Arthur's hand and tightened his grip. 

Oh. . . how small and slender that hand was. 

Closer to the edge of the lake and back on flat ground, Arthur led him to one of the trees. "Now, when I said you could meet them, I meant it more as in you'll be able to _hear_ them. Hear them as I do." He looked down at their intertwined hands and the way his expression softened made Alfred twitch. "And since you're human, it'll be very weak since they're not in my territory."

"So kind of like a long-distance call?" Alfred asked.

Arthur gave him an odd look before the realization settled in. "Ah, yes. I suppose you can think of it like that." Snorting, he added under a quiet breath, "You humans and your technology."

"What?" Alfred whined. "They're useful."

"And destructive."

Alfred laughed. "Wow, you sound like my grandpa."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Arthur lifted their interlocked hands and briefly let go to reposition his hand to lie on top of Alfred's, guiding him to press his palm onto the trunk. "Now, I want you to close your eyes and _feel_ the forest."

Alfred looked to his hand nestled under Arthur's. "Aren't I feeling it right now? I mean, my hand being on the tree and all and you, being the actual forest with your hand-"

" _Alfred_ ," Arthur bit out through clenched teeth. "That's not what I meant."

"Oh. . . Sorry."

Breathing out a long sigh, Arthur wrapped his other hand around Alfred's neck and brought his face down until their foreheads touch. Alfred unwillingly let out a small yelp at the sudden close proximity but Arthur paid him no mind, his eyes already closed. 

"I need you to be serious, Alfred," he said, sounding a little tired. Alfred had to wonder if he had even fully recovered from yesterday's incident. "I need you to focus." 

Swallowing and ignoring how his heart pulsed obnoxiously in his ears, Alfred did a little nod and closed his eyes. Immediately, his mind pinpointed to the coolness of Arthur's skin against his forehead and how smooth the spirit's hand felt on top of his. And then, it was as if his entire body fell victim to that serene temperature, his thoughts silenced as if they've been washed over by the ocean. 

Then his ears focused. Suddenly clear as if they had just popped from high altitude, Alfred heard every rustle of the wind; every whistling of the wood. The distant call of birds and critters echoed around him and through him. Here and there he heard the crash of the ocean behind him, the scattering of the water and foam with every gradient noise. 

As he breathed in, the sting of grass and the haze of dew wafted through his nose. It was intoxicating yet refreshing all the same and Alfred felt his head begin to sink away from reality.

And that's when the voices came.

A few at first, their sound broken and soft. But then they became louder. Stronger. 

_"Arthur,"_ they whispered repeatedly. Some were concerned. Some were excited. _"Arthur."_

Sometimes, they spoke in English. Other times, an unknown dialect. Bursts of melodic tones and earthy murmurs overlapped with recognizable and foreign words and names. 

_"Human!"_ They gasped. _"Arthur, you dare-!"_

Alfred frowned. They didn't seem too happy about him. But then again, considering their shaky history with humans in general, Alfred couldn't be any more surprised than he was guilty. He slowly opened his eyes and unsurely glanced at Arthur. But before he could suggest leaving it for today, the words got caught in his throat and he flinched back from the initial surprise.

With Arthur's magic activated, his entire body glowed with an unearthly, green light. It traveled underneath his skin like veins and it coursed through the plants that grew from his being like a glowing skeleton. Arthur's hair swayed ever so gently in the wind that encased him, and when he spoke, his lips were unmoving. 

_"You're wrong,"_ he hissed in response, the richness of his certainty reverberating in Alfred's mind. _"Alfred is different."_

_"Different?!"_ The voices rose in a chorus of disbelief and the trees of Arthur's forest churned. _"Different?!"_

_"Yes,"_ Arthur insisted. _"Different."_

The voices fell silent. They were quiet for so long Alfred wasn't sure if they were still connected or not. But glancing at Arthur again and seeing how his brows were still knitted together in a persistent frown, Alfred felt his heart swell. To think, after all he had done to hurt him and argue against backing off, the spirit still had so much trust in him. 

It _hurt_.

"I'm not strong," Alfred said out-loud, unsure if the other spirits would hear him. 

But all that mattered was that Arthur heard him. 

"I'm not strong," he repeated. "I'm an idiot and a coward. Even now I'm not sure if I can back away from the construction project. And I can't promise that I won't hurt Arthur anymore. But. . . I will try. I _want_ to try." 

He felt Arthur's hand that was on top of him flinch. 

Alfred pressed on. "I always thought that I was doing something good for the world by building housing. And although I didn't really like it, I never hesitated to cut down forests because I felt that it was worth the sacrifice. If I knew sooner. . ." Alfred shook his head. "No. . . Who am I kidding? I don't know what I would've done if I knew sooner that what I was doing was hurting all of you. Maybe nothing would've changed.

"But I want to try to change. If I can find a way to continue what I do without hurting Arthur then I will. I'll do whatever it takes." 

_"How?"_ They challenged.

Alfred breathed in a shuddering breath. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I know that I don't want Arthur to disappear. I'll do everything I can to prevent that."

The silence that followed was suffocating. It dragged on for what seemed like ages and Alfred found himself retreating back into his mind despite just making his bold declaration. Part of him wanted so badly to just drop everything and run. But the other part of him anchored his resolve in place. 

He was still very much uncertain, and yes, most of his words were probably just talk. But he hoped the genuine meaning behind his words got through to them. 

To _Arthur._

Considering how big the project was and how much was put into its construction, Alfred knew there was very little chance of it being trashed. But now that Arthur's wellbeing was going to be added into the equation, maybe there was a way they could tweak their plans somehow. Either way, Alfred had hope. And added to that hope was his urge to keep Arthur alive. 

Arthur was important him. How important, Alfred didn't know. It wasn't really something he could measure. All he knew was that the spirit meant enough to him to try and find alternatives in the project plan, no matter how difficult it would make things. 

The other spirits seemed to understand.

_"Alfred,"_ they whispered, as if testing out his name on their tongues. _"Alfred."_ They weren't sure if they liked it yet.

_"Maybe there's hope. . ."_

_". . . Protect him."_

_"Protect Arthur."_

_"Promise you will."_

More ushers of their strange language. But they all seemed to agree, albeit reluctantly. _"Protect Arthur."_

Alfred pressed his hands deeper onto the trunk of the tree, the texture of the bark digging into his palm. "I will."

It wasn't until a few seconds later did he realize Arthur's hand was gone from his. Opening his eyes, he looked to his side to see Arthur staring up at him with that same penetrative look. But in those large eyes flickered hope and want. Yet that fear and vulnerability still remained. Alfred then noticed that Arthur was cradling the hand that had held his close to his core, as if trying to desperately hold on to those promising words Alfred had said.

"Were you being serious?" Arthur drew back when Alfred tried to step closer. 

"Arthur-"

"Were you being _serious_?" He asked again, stronger this time. His expression turned guarded and his eyes flared. 

Alfred clenched his hands by his side. "Yes. I was being serious. . . I _am_ serious."

"I thought you said you couldn’t stop the project no matter what." It was startling how shaky Arthur's voice was considering how strong it usually was. 

Alfred took a step closer. Arthur stepped back. "That's why I said I'd work on finding an alternative. A way to keep working on the project but without hurting you. I'm sure there's a way, right?"

Arthur broke away from Alfred's earnest blue eyes. Since when did they shine with so much intensity? "I-I don't know."

A step back. 

A step forward.

"Which is why we can try. We can work together to find a way for both of this to work!" 

Shaking his head, Arthur's hand around the one that held Alfred's tightened as he continued to step back. His whole being felt like a contradiction. He was very much against this and refused to submit to how promising it sounded. His mind argued that if this were to go through, in the end it would be him sacrificing everything, not Alfred; that he would still be getting the short end of the stick and that there was no guarantee Alfred wouldn't go back on his word. 

But his _heart_. . . Oh, he didn't even _have_ a heart, Arthur cursed, but something inside him still wanted so fiercely to believe Alfred's sweet words.

He knew Alfred was different. He wouldn't have argued against his peers if he hadn't truly believed it. But for Alfred to suddenly make such a daring declaration! 

Arthur's back hit a tree and Alfred continued to walk closer until he was hardly a breath away. "Arthur, look at me."

The spirit refused.

"Arthur, _please_."

So he did. Hesitantly and unwillingly, but he did. Once again with the blue of the sky meeting the green of the earth, nothing felt more complete than it did in that moment. And with their slight difference in height, it really did seem like the world was completed. 

"I don't know if it'll work," Alfred admitted. And he knew Arthur knew too. "But will you be willing to at least try with me?"

"I. . . I don't know if it'll work," Arthur repeated as his answer. And Alfred smiled.

"I know."

"A-And I don't know if I can trust you."

"I know."

". . . But-"

"Yes?"

Arthur breathed. "But I _want_ to." 

"For it to work?"

"To trust you." Arthur burned his gaze into Alfred's. "I want to trust you."

Alfred's lips curled into a smile. "Do you?"

"I do."

Alfred wasn't sure what overcame him, but right there and then, he kissed him. 

And Arthur kissed back.

_Oh, how the earth reached up to embrace the sky. . . And how that sky willingly fell back to the earth to meet it._

_The earth had never been more complete._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gaah I can't thank all of you enough for your support. All the comments and kudos and hits, like, holy moly I faint.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy (belated) Valentine's Day! I planned to upload this sooner, like, right on the day because I thought, "Hey! Chapter 14 on the 14th!" But I was out of the city and wifi decided to die on me...
> 
> But here you go! Hope you enjoy!

Matthew thought his cousin had finally gone crazy. 

When Alfred initially ran off into the forest, declaring he would solve things with whoever he thought was causing all the construction mishaps, Matthew had hope. But when Alfred had come back, the look he had on his face was not much further than absolute despair. But even after Matthew had asked him what had happened and even comforted him for reasons unknown to him, Alfred kept brushing him off. The way he wandered around the house after work was worse than someone taking off with his brain. 

The situation only seemed to get worse when Matthew woke up the morning after to see his cousin furiously slaving over the project plans. It was like Alfred had become a completely different person or that someone had pumped him full of caffeine. With the papers scattered all over the dining room table, Alfred barely mumbled a "Mornin'" to his cousin before he turned his attention back to the plans, his frantically-wide eyes never once leaving his notes. Matthew had a sinking suspicion that something was off about him that morning and it only proved to be true when his cousin suddenly announced to the office and crew later in the day that there will be changes made to the construction plans. 

. . .

_"Alfred, are you insane?" Matthew closed the office door behind him, glaring daggers at his cousin. "Why are you changing the design plans now?!"_

_"Mattie, I can't destroy this forest," was Alfred's only reply, as if that answer alone explained everything._

_Matthew narrowed his eyes. "Why not?" And when Alfred didn't reply, he continued. "Is it because of that spirit or whatever you said you met in the forest? The one that's delaying everything?"_

_Again, Alfred didn't reply. So Matthew lost his patience._

_"Are you serious, Alfred?!" His voice began to rise. "You're going to change years worth of planning just for this random person? He's not even real!"_

_"He's real!" Alfred argued. His eyes finally lifted up from his papers and they were blazing with determination and irritancy. "And I won't be changing much, I think. Just relocating some plots, some underground work, and some structure plans. It shouldn't be that big of a deal."_

_"Not that big of a deal?" Matthew echoed in disbelief. "You're not working on this project alone, Alfred! Have you forgotten that we have sponsors and layers of deals on this project? You can't just go around changing things whenever you want to! We need to recalculate and get approval and-"_

_"And we'll do all of those, Matt! We'll get the approvals."_

_Matthew crossed his arms. "And how do you know that?"_

_"I'll. . . I'll make my case super convincing."_

_Letting out a low groan, Matthew walked over to his cousin's side, glancing over the plans he was brainstorming with scrutiny. "And what will your reason be? That you're helping out a spirit you just randomly met in the forest? That you had a change of heart and decided protecting the forest is more important than building affordable housing?"_

_"It's not that it's more important, Matt. I'm just trying to find a better solution for both of our sides."_

_"This is the best solution!" Matthew gestured around them._

_"For us!" Alfred shouted back. "Not him."_

_Matthew couldn't believe it and his voice became deadly serious. "Alfred, why are you doing this?" His cousin didn't lift his head. "Don't tell me you've gotten emotionally attached to this guy."_

_". . ."_

_"Do you-. . ." Matthew hesitated to say it because it just seemed so impossible. "Do you like him?"_

_". . ."_

_"Alfred, if you don't answer and I don't figure out what's going on with you, I'll forcefully remove you from the project." Alfred's head snapped up and Matthew stared him down. "And don't think I won't do it."_

_Alfred sighed and glanced out the window towards the forest that seems to be eating away at his mind and heart. Then he turned back to his cousin, those blue eyes of his dark and resolute. And when he whispered his admittance, it was done with complete surrender and faith - in himself and in his feelings._

_"I like him. . . I really do."_

_And a few seconds of silence passed before Matthew agreed. He sighed and huffed and contemplated and internally debated and argued. . . But agree he did._

_"Fine. I won't send you to an insane asylum. But you better convince me that your plans are better than the originals as if your life depended on it. Because if I don't feel like it's ready, then our business partners sure as hell won't either."_

. . .

It's been almost a month since then and the changes were finally taking place. After weeks of slaving over their options and online conference calls, their new plans were eventually approved by both their company's superiors and their sponsors. And although it took many, _many_ hours to convince them that their new choices were very much mandatory and would prove to be even more advantageous than their current plans, it couldn't compare to the hours spent planning these changes.

And those changes were risky. Very risky. 

Whether it was to change the majority of the lighting to renewable energy, or alter the placement of windows to promote passive heating to avoid extra electric cables, or use recycled materials like the cement and wood from a highway that was being remodeled in the nearby city, Alfred had a long list of suggestions to make. Matthew was actually surprised Alfred didn't come up with some of these suggestions sooner because of how ingenious they were. Of course, their original plans were already quite environmentally friendly, but the new plans Alfred had drawn out had become something much more advanced. 

Rather than constructing houses while taking the environment into consideration, it was like Alfred was building _for_ the environment. The way he drew out the plans not only had systems that naturally used the forest without harming it, but gave back to the forest once it cycled through. Matthew had to admit, he was impressed. 

And honestly, so were their superiors. 

Of course, they initially had their doubts, but when Alfred convinced them that they would be spending less than they had originally agreed on and would actually be gaining higher profits once the houses were on the market, they eagerly agreed. They were businessmen after all. 

So yes, things were going swimmingly considering the amount of delay they previously had. Now that the interruptions seemed to have stopped, events were quickly getting back on schedule. But one thing that still worried Matthew was that his cousin seemed to be disappearing into the forest more often now, spending more and more time within its depths before returning home. But he had never seen his cousin happier than he was now and that's really all Matthew could ask for. 

He just hoped their efforts won't be in vain. . . and Alfred's heart won't end in heartbreak.

* * *

"The project seems to be progressing quite fast this past month," Arthur noted. 

_Snip._

"You've been okay, right?" Alfred asked, suddenly worried that Arthur had hidden an accusation in his question. "You haven't been affected too badly, have you?" He didn’t see but Arthur smiled at his concern.

"No, I'm holding up alright. Worry not." Arthur played with the grass by his feet, enjoying the feeling of Alfred brushing through the flowers that had sprung up on his back again. Of course, some damages to the forest had to be done, but Alfred had agreed to keep the clearing to the minimum Arthur had indicated so that the spirit didn't suffer anything more than bouts of dizziness or fatigue. 

"That's good," Alfred sighed in relief. "But let me know if something does happen."

Arthur hummed, relaxed against Alfred's touch. "I will."

Their deal was simple: Arthur wouldn't interrupt their progress or harm the workers as long as Alfred followed Arthur's minimum and didn't cut down more forest than they agreed on. And so far, it was working perfectly.

"And _this_ isn't hurting you, is it?" Alfred had been cutting away at the flowers that had regrown on Arthur's back for several minutes already. Now that it was early evening and the sun was slowly making its descent, the two males were simply enjoying each other's company after Alfred offered to cut Arthur's flowers. And this time, he came prepared, armed with a pair of sharp scissors.

It's been a month since their breakthrough and they've grown comfortable in each other's presence. On lazy days, they told stories of origins and childhood while basking in the afternoon sun. And when nights came around, Arthur often invited Alfred out for stargazing which usually ended with one of them falling asleep before the other. When the skies graced them with rain, they either hid in the cliffs or danced in the summer showers. 

Every other day was dusted with peppered kisses and electric touches. Never was a single minute of their shared time devoted to something other than each other. Arthur taught Alfred about his forest and Alfred made him laugh with his stories of his childhood shenanigans, his bright smile never failing to make Arthur's tingle with happiness. Even their disagreements (rare as they were) were solved just as quickly as they came. 

Arthur felt his smile grow in fondness at Alfred's fretting. "Didn't we establish last time that this doesn't hurt me?"

"Yeah, we did, but. . . Just to make sure, ya know?" 

Arthur chuckled. "You're sweet." 

Feeling his cheeks warm, Alfred tried not to stutter. "I-I'm really not," he mumbled out of modesty. 

_Snip._

Alfred cut off a daisy and laid it with the rest of the bouquet. "But I'm surprised. These grew out pretty quickly. And I actually think there's more than last time." Alfred cut off yet another daisy. "Are you sure you're okay now? Didn't these grow out because you fell unconscious last time?"

Arthur thought to himself, unsure. What Alfred said was true, and he had actually noticed earlier in the month that passed, but because nothing out of the ordinary had happened, he thought nothing of it. "I'm actually not too sure," he said honestly. "You're right, this usually only happens when I’m close to losing my physical form. But I haven't been feeling any different recently. . ."

_Snip._

"Okay, well. . . As long as you're not _feeling_ any worse then I guess it's okay?" But Alfred didn't like that even Arthur wasn't sure what was going on. Spirits in general were already such an unknown entity, but for the spirit itself to not know what was happening was beyond unnerving. If something bad were to happen now. . .

Alfred worried the inside of his cheek. "Just let me know if anything happens, okay?" He cut off the last flower and was about to let Arthur know it was over but his fingers lingered on Arthur's back, tracing them down the cool skin in a daze. The spirit shuddered and turned to look over his shoulder at Alfred, curiosity in his eyes. 

Alfred's eyes followed the pattern of his fingers. "I don't want anything to happen to you," he said quietly. 

After a few seconds of silence, Arthur fully turned around and gently took Alfred's hands into his. "I'll be fine," he assured. 

"How can you be sure?"

Arthur smiled. The green of his eyes light with warmth. "I have you helping me, don't I?"

Alfred returned a meek smile. And Arthur said _he_ was sweet. As worried as he was about Arthur's weird condition, nothing could be done if neither of them had an idea why it was happening. But if there was one thing he could do, he could at least work to prevent Arthur from entering a state of comatose again because of him. 

So Alfred pushed away that nagging feeling inside him and laughed. "Not sure if I'm actually helping but I'm trying."

Arthur squeezed his hands. "You _are_ helping," he insisted. "More than you know. The fact that you're trying to help at all is more than I can ask for. . ." He paused. "That just means you’re the first person whose ever truly listened to me." And the way he said it was almost as if he had just realized himself, the emotion soaking his words.

Alfred grinned his sunny smile and leaning in, nuzzling his nose with Arthur's. "And I'll keep listening for as long as you need me to." 

Arthur smirked. "You better."

It wasn't until later that night that Arthur realized that maybe he wouldn't be around long enough for Alfred to keep listening to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all your support everyone. I wouldn't be this motivated without you all.


	15. Chapter 15

A sudden sense of urgency startled Arthur from his dormant state and his consciousness shook awake. 

Something wasn't right. 

Something was _very_ wrong. 

Looking around his forest for the source of the problem, Arthur couldn't find anything. All was calm in the middle of the night and everything was accounted for. Even when he stretched his awareness to all corners of his land, the animals slept quietly and the insects gently stirred. Not a leaf was out of place. 

But a deep panic violently swirled in Arthur's core and wouldn't be swayed. 

Something was _wrong_

. . . But what?

Concerned, Arthur began to will his physical body to form. And that's when he realized:

Something was wrong with _him_. 

The panic grew. 

Furiously willing his body to form, Arthur felt his powers pull and bend and stretch. He tried separating his consciousness from the forest, imagining himself anchored to the ground. Limbs. Hair. Eyes. 

But it wasn't working. 

_'What's going on?!'_ This had never happened before and the terror flooded his mind. 

Pushing it away and trying to think straight, Arthur moved his consciousness on a focal point: a single tree. Maybe if he focused his mind to a single place, his powers would prevail over whatever force was holding him back. 

Climbing down from the leaves to the base of the tree, Arthur tried harder. Straining his mind, the air snapped and popped with pressure. An enormous mass of energy, stronger than Arthur ever had to summon, swirled in his mind and expanded around what would be his soul. His concentration fought against the fear that threatened to overwhelm him. 

One arm. Then another. His head. The neck. 

Little by little, Arthur manually pulled his physical form into existence. 

But the process was slow and excruciating. 

Every tug away from that unknown restraint was like dragging a knife down his skin. It felt worse than when his land had been torn apart by humans. Even when he cried out in pain, they were swallowed by the darkness of the night. No one was there to witness the agony of a spirit splitting himself apart. 

Forming himself from the bark of the tree, Arthur eventually freed himself from the trunk, and as if the strings binding him had been cut, he abruptly tumbled forward to the ground. 

Stumbling to his feet, Arthur was panting and his body was aching as it repaired the skin that had been ripped in the process. Staring at the tree and the similar ones around him, his eyes were wide with disbelief. 

_'What happened?! What's going on?!'_

Then he became aware of the growing weight on his back. Turning his head, a new form of terror silenced the scream threatening to escape his throat. 

The flowers that had just been cut earlier that day were rapidly growing, blooming as if someone was fast-forwarding time and pulling them into maturity. Even the skin on his arms was falling apart, revealing patches of bark and dirt. 

This shouldn't be happening.

But when Arthur tried to move, he saw that his feet were decomposing, growing roots that were digging themselves back into the dirt. Using all the strength he could muster, Arthur detached his feet in a blind panic. 

Unsure what else to do, he ran.

Something was _wrong_. 

It was as if something had cut the connection between him and the forest. As if his soul had separated from his will. As if his desires were no longer those of the forest. 

Arthur felt as if he had just split in two.

It was terrifying. 

It was _wrong_. 

Since when did he and the forest become two separate entities? They were supposed to be one and the same! 

Heart in chaos, Arthur ran to the lake.

* * *

When Alfred was met with complete silence after calling out Arthur's name several times, he frowned. "Can he not hear me?" He wondered. But as long as he was in the forest, it was practically impossible for Arthur not to hear him. The forest was Arthur after all. 

Alfred continued to walk down the road, looking around for any sign of the spirit. "Arthur?" He shouted out. "You're not playing with me, are you?" It wouldn't be the first time Arthur playfully hid from him, but it usually happened after they met up first. 

Alfred scratched the back of his head. "He's not busy with something, is he?" But was it possible for a spirit to be busy in the first place? 

Unsettled, he kept searching. Following the path away from Matthew's house and deeper into the forest, Alfred refused to let his fear get the best of him. That growing, cold feeling that blocked his throat with every unanswered call felt sick in his stomach. 

Eventually, Alfred reached the lake they often come to. 

The place where they shared their first kiss. 

Warm thoughts of the past month they spent together numbed the slight panic in his chest. Considering how Alfred had grown up without the slightest interest in romance, the tender moments he had with Arthur was like unlocking a whole world of bliss. 

Was he even allowed to feel this happy? 

Apparently not.

When he saw Arthur lying submerged in the lake, motionless, the warmth in his heart was fiercely ripped away from him. 

"Arthur!" Alfred ran forward, slipping on the mud and down the slope. Ignoring the pain of his ankle collapsing in on him, he straightened himself out and didn't think twice about jumping into the lake. 

Luckily, the water only reached his chest and Alfred waded over to Arthur with his heart in his throat. Goddamnit, why was he so _slow_?!

"Arthur!" He shouted again. "Arthur!" 

The moment he got there, he scooped Arthur out of the water, cradling him to his chest. The spirit's eyes remained closed; his body, unmoving and undisturbed by Alfred's frantic shaking.

"Arthur!" His voice cracked. "Arthur!" 

_'Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god.'_

Alfred looked around, a scream for help bursting from his mouth. But his cries were absorbed by the sea of green around him and not even an echo returned. The cold realization that no one was around to help frightened him into shaking. His grip around Arthur's shoulders tightened and his eyes stung with frustrated tears. Looking back at the spirit, Alfred used a wet hand to brush away the blond locks that were plastered on Arthur's forehead and near his eyes. 

"Arthur?! Oh god, Arthur, please wake up," he whimpered. "Wake up!" 

Alfred was only a second away from dragging Arthur back to shore when the spirit stirred in his arms. Those brilliant green eyes slowly opened, closing and reopening several times before they focused on Alfred. What a sight it was to see those blue eyes, so teary and unsteady, peering down at him. 

"Alfred?" The spirit had no energy in his voice and his eyes didn't open past halfway. Although his head slightly tilted to get a better look at Alfred's face, the rest of Arthur's body was no better than a rag doll. Seeing how lifeless Arthur was wrung Alfred's chest empty of air. 

"Arthur!" Alfred sobbed. "What happened to you? What's going on?! No. Wait. Let me get you back on land. How on earth did you end up-"

"No, don't!"

Alfred froze. "What?" The hand Arthur had clenching Alfred's shirt was shaking. From desperation or weakness, Alfred didn't know. 

"I can't go back," Arthur urgently muttered. "I can't touch the earth." He winced as he tried to move his legs. They were immensely better than before but they were painfully sore. It didn't help that they didn't seem to want to listen to him either, their reaction being delayed. 

Seeing Arthur's struggle, Alfred did his best to support him, cradling him at a higher angle to let his legs fall naturally. Leaning into Alfred, Arthur gradually stood back on his own feet, careful to avoid brushing with the bottom of the lake as a precaution. 

Well, he was more floating than standing. But at least he was upright.

Alfred tried to quiet his worrying mind and organize his questions to come out in a comprehensible order. "What do you mean you can't go back? What going on?"

Arthur swallowed, shaking his head. "I don’t know for certain but. . . It seems my connection with the forest has been severed. It has its own will now and I can't control its movements anymore."

Alfred frowned. "I-I don't understand, w-what do you mean?" 

Raising his hands, Arthur tested their strength. They shook and failed to clench properly, and the tips of his fingers tingled with the loss of feeling. "It's like the earth is trying to absorb me back in," he explained, steadily, gravely, and quietly. "The moment I touch the earth, this body starts to lose its shape. Even the flowers on my back have grown back."

Alfred noticed the fully-bloomed assortment and really, _really_ didn't like how this conversation was going. "When did this happen?"

"Last night. I suddenly woke up to find I couldn't form my body at will anymore. It took everything I had to get this form back."

"Then why are you in the lake?"

"It's the only place where I'm not touching the earth. And if the earth is dragging me back, water is the only thing free of its grasp." Arthur looked down over his body. "Until I fell into the water, this body was decomposing. My feet were rooting to the dirt and my skin was turning back to bark. It was like my magic was falling apart - like the forest had stolen it away from me. It took all my energy just to repair everything back to this form."

Alfred forced himself to breathe, his sighs heavily drenched in nervousness. Now that Arthur mentioned it, he could see rough patches of skin on Arthur's arms. The flowers on the spirit's back, regrown as if Alfred hadn't cut them just the day before, were also proof of Arthur's story. The truth dragged its nails down Alfred's heart and clawed its way into his gut. 

"What the hell is going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Arthur sighed.

"You have no idea why this is happening?" Arthur shook his head and Alfred groaned. " _Fuck._ "

"I might be able to find out more if I contact the others but-" Arthur hesitated. "That'll require me to either be back on earth or have my soul return. But if my soul returns to the forest-"

"Then there's no telling if you'll be able to come back," Alfred finished. His dark eyes met Arthur's. "Right?"

It was a crime how beautiful those green eyes shined in all their helplessness. "It appears so, yes," Arthur answered, his voice resigned. 

Alfred clenched his hands, nails breaking through the skin. He tried to wrap his head around the situation, but no matter how much he analyzed and hypothesized, there were too many questions still left unanswered. Well, who was he kidding? He was dealing with the supernatural. Some things just didn't make sense. 

"Is this why the flowers on your back have grown back so quickly?" Alfred asked. 

Arthur nodded. "I've been having some trouble every now and then with this body, but I brushed it off. I thought it was only just a side effect of your progress on the construction project." 

"So it's just like that time I found you unconscious. . ." Then Alfred's head snapped to him, his eyes panicked. "This isn't because of-"

"No!" Arthur hastily interrupted, sensing where Alfred was going. "This is definitely _not_ your fault, Alfred."

"But you don't-"

"I've been through worse damage before and this has never happened. So don't think that you're the cause of this, alright?" Arthur grasped Alfred's arm, giving it an insistent squeeze. The two locked eyes for several tense seconds, arguing through look alone before Alfred gave in.

"And there's no other way for you to find out what's wrong with your body unless you talk to your friends?" He asked.

Arthur looked to the trees. "I can't be certain, but there are some spirits who have lived longer than I have. I was hoping they might know what's happening to me if I asked but. . ."

Alfred grumbled another curse under his breath. "Then what are we supposed to do? You can't stay in this lake forever! You'll catch a cold or something!"

Arthur almost laughed. "Spirits don't catch colds, Alfred."

"You almost drowned!"

"I was resting," Arthur insisted. 

"Plants can drown," Alfred pointed out.

"Yes, but I'm not really a plant. . . _That aside_ ," Arthur continued before Alfred could press on any further with this ridiculous banter, "it looks like I'll have to stay here until I regain some of my strength back. Maybe then I can go back on land and talk to someone."

Alfred shook his head. "But what if you get absorbed and you can't come back?"

The possibility weighed down on them in silence, the question clinging stubbornly to the air. Arthur knew the chances were slim. Who knew how fast he would be absorbed? And by the time he gets in contact with someone, maybe his body would've completely decomposed out by then. 

Arthur laughed through his nose, his lips awkwardly turned up in a wry smile. "Then I guess you won't have any more reasons to hold back on your construction with me out of the way."

Alfred grabbed Arthur's shoulders and forced him to face him. "How can you say that?!" He cried, voice breaking. "Do you really think that's how little I think of you?! Have you not realized how much you mean to me?!"

Arthur's eyes were wide at the sudden outburst, but then he melted into a sorrowful smile after seeing the raw emotion on Alfred's face. He raised a hand to cup his cheek - a gentle touch, barely there. 

"I've hurt you," he sighed. "I'm sorry."

Alfred pouted, but then leaned into the touch as a silent acceptance. "Arthur, I won't have you stay here forever. And I won't risk losing you either."

"Then how else will I find out what's going on with me?" 

Alfred covered Arthur's hand with his, removing it from his cheek so that he could hold it in both hands. "I'll do some research. Maybe someone in town knows some legends or I can search on the web for some answers."

"And what if you can't find anything?"

". . . I'll find something. I'll definitely find something."

It was practically a lie and a horribly-empty promise, but Arthur had to smile. "You're just being stubborn."

"Hey, I get results from it," Alfred said, smiling cheekily. But it dropped when his eyes grew serious again, staring into Arthur's. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

Arthur squeezed his hand, whispering a quiet "Okay" before letting go. He watched as Alfred slowly made his way back to shore, his chest hurting as the distance between them increased.

But suddenly, Alfred stopped, just a few feet away from the edge of the lake. He turned back to Arthur. "Would anything happen if you leave the forest?" He asked, voice slightly louder to cross the distance.

Arthur thought to himself before answering, finding the question strange. "I. . . don't believe anything would happen, no. As long as the forest is intact, I'll be alright." Alfred began to wade back to him and Arthur thought it was because he couldn't hear him. So he answered a little louder. "Nothing would happen, why? Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." Alfred waded closer. 

Arthur suddenly got a bad feeling. "Alfred, why are you asking me this?" When the man didn't reply, Arthur began to back away. "Alfred? Alfred, what are you-? You can't possibly be thinking of-!" 

Alfred scooped Arthur into his arms. 

"Alfred!" Arthur squeaked in surprise. "Alfred what are you _doing_?!"

"I'm taking you home with me."

" _What?!_ "

"You'll be safer there. Away from touching the earth and all that."

"No, no, I can't possibly-!"

"That way, I can keep an eye out on you and I won't have to leave you behind."

"Alfred, are you out of your-?!"

"Oh! And you can finally meet Mattie!" 

"Alfred, _listen_ to me!" 

But Alfred didn't, and the rest of the spirit's profanities were lost to the wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moving right along the plot line~ 
> 
> Thoughts, questions, comments? Thank you for your support everyone! My heart squeals at every kudo and comment.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while. I've been doing lots of therapy for my ankle and had some assignments for school to burn through. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter and feel free to let me know your thoughts.

"Mattie. . . Yo, Mattie!" Alfred rolled his eyes and threw a couch cushion at his cousin. "Goddamn it, Matt, snap out of it." It hit Matthew's shoulder and the Canadian blinked. 

"What?" 

"You're staring."

Matthew looked down at the fallen cushion then back to Alfred. "So was that for me being rude or just you being jealous?"

Alfred puffed up like a bird, cheeks colouring red. "I-It was for being rude!" 

"Right, of course." Matthew turned to face the man sitting in the loveseat across from him. "Arthur, was it? Sorry if I uh. . . made you uncomfortable." He watched as the man shifted in his seat before shaking his head.

"Not at all," Arthur replied with a weak smile. "You have every reason to, I suppose." It didn't sound very convincing to Matthew, but he took it anyway. What else was he supposed to do at this point?

"Right. It's not every day I get to meet a forest spirit," Matthew laughed dryly. Arthur nodded in agreement.

The silence that followed was stifling as neither of the two knew what else to say. Matthew toyed with the hem of his sweater.

_'Well fuck, this is awkward.'_

He had been woken up that morning after hearing voices from outside his closed door. One he had recognized to be Alfred, and the other, unknown to him. Out of curiosity and mild annoyance, Matthew got up to see what the commotion was about. 

The last thing he was expecting to see was his cousin cutting off flowers growing out of another man's back. 

When Alfred spotted him, Matthew wasn't even allowed the opportunity to go change or brush his teeth when he got dragged to the living room. So here he was, in his pajamas, with his disheveled hair and morning breath, sitting across from a man who Alfred claimed to be a supernatural entity. 

What a morning this was turning out to be.

Matthew really hadn't meant to stare so intently, but if he didn't, the man sitting across from him would look no different than any other random guy out on the street. Only after careful speculation did Matthew see the differences: those abnormally large green eyes that seemed to glow, the translucent paleness of his skin, and the flora that grew from his exposed skin. 

The man looked like a walking garden.

Before the silence pressed on much longer, Alfred cut in. Whether he felt the awkward atmosphere or not was unknown but he turned to his brother with a contempt smile. "See, I _told_ you he was real."

Matthew glanced at Arthur, not appreciating his cousin's haughtiness. "How do I know you didn't just hire someone to play the part?" It wasn't that he was doubting his cousin. No, it was more like he was doubting his own sanity. 

Alfred's expression visibly soured but it was actually Arthur who spoke up before he could argue. "Would it matter if he did?" His eyes held a sort of fierceness but his face remained calm. "Your project is progressing better than ever because of his decisions."

"That's true, but that's not why I asked," Matthew said without so much as a blink. So maybe he was just a little grumpy this morning from having this situation suddenly shoved in his face. "I'd just like to know whether or not my cousin's suffering from hallucinations so I can decide if I need to get him treated."

Alfred looked at his cousin with wide eyes, offended. "I thought you were already over the possibility of me being insane!" 

Matthew shrugged. "Crazy or not, you're my cousin and co-creator of the company's project. Of course I had to trust in your decisions. But just because I agreed to the changes doesn't mean I ruled out the possibility of something being wrong with you." 

Arthur rested an elbow on the armrest. He knew Matthew was irritated, and his next move would only rile him up more, but it had to be done. Considering how he _wasn't_ lying about his identity, listening to this conversation was borderline infuriating even if he knew humans were clueless to his existence. 

"I find this an interesting argument considering how you used to see _'hallucinations'_ too."

Turning to him, Matthew frowned. "What?"

"Well, you've probably forgotten," Arthur hummed coyly, waving his hands in mock dismissiveness. "Human children forget things so easily after all."

Alfred pouted. "That's not directed at me, is it?"

"Not at all, Alfred."

"Wait, wait," Matthew interrupted. "What do you mean by I used to see hallucinations too?" 

Arthur smiled. "You really want to know?"

"I'd rather not have empty statements thrown at me, thanks."

"Then answer me this." Arthur's eyes gleamed. "Are you still afraid of the dark, Matthew?" 

Matthew visibly stiffened. _How did he. . ._

". . . No," he answered. It wasn't a complete lie but it wasn't the whole truth either. 

"He used to be," Alfred added on. "But that was back in elementary school, I think."

"Shut _up_ , Al," Matthew bit through gritted teeth. 

Ignoring them, Arthur continued. "And during those frightening nights, who was there to comfort you? Who helped you to sleep when not even your nightlight worked?" 

"No one did," Matthew said, thinking back. "My parents tried, but they'd never stayed for long."

"Think harder," Arthur insisted. "You often slept well despite having that fear, I would say."

And Matthew did try. The way those green eyes stared so seriously at him made him feel compelled to listen. And as much as a part of him didn't like this roundabout way of storytelling, he didn't see any cons in trying. He eventually hesitantly shook his head

"I honestly can't think-"

"A certain polar bear cub misses you, you know."

Matthew froze. ". . . I-I'm sorry?" 

"I'm sure you've had reoccurring dreams of the same polar bear cub, do you not?"

"I. . . do but. . . how did you know that?" 

Arthur's expression softened at the Canadian's clueless response. Matthew wasn't sure why the spirit suddenly looked so sad but a twang of guilt pierced at his heart despite his initial irritancy.

"Kumajiro is one of the magical creatures of my forest," Arthur went on to explain. "When you were younger and still feared the dark, he heard your cries and often came to comfort you." The spirit chuckled. "But, although you considered each other friends, neither of you could ever properly remember the other's name."

Matthew dropped his gaze, unseeing as he tested the name on his tongue. "Kuma. . . jiro. . ." It sounded so _familiar_ but. . .

Alfred turned to his cousin. "Hey Matt, didn't you say you had a dream of eating pancakes with a polar bear a few weeks ago?" 

There was no response from the Canadian but his expression said it all. A swirling mass of confusion and partial realization had Matthew floored. 

Arthur studied the man in his state of shock. He could never understand by Kumajiro was so attached to this human, especially when they forgot each other's name so easily. "Even if you don't believe me, it doesn't matter. I'm just telling you what I know."

"Then if I could see him before, why can't I see him now?" What bothered Matthew most was that he _did_ remember falling asleep while holding something comforting in his arms. But he had just assumed it had been a stuffed animal or something. At least, certainly not some kind of forest creature made of magic. 

"Most human children are able to see certain creatures, but once they get older, they begin to lose that sight. You just so happened to be one of them," Arthur said. "After that, the only way creatures like Kumajiro can be seen is through your dreams. However, it's not an easy task considering what little magic they have in the first place."

"Then why can I see you?"

"I'm different," was Arthur's blunt answer. "I can choose to be seen or not at will." But while Matthew processed his answer, he looked away, mentally laughing at himself. _'Well, maybe not anymore. . .'_ he thought warily. 

Letting out a heavy sigh, Matthew took off his glasses to rub at his face, as if he could physically rub away the confusion and sheer absurdity of what he was hearing. "Alright, fine. I'll believe you." He put his glasses back on. "So? Why are you here if you're a forest spirit?"

"He's in trouble," Alfred interjected. "I think the forest's rejecting him."

Matthew frowned. At this rate, he would have premature wrinkles soon from all the frowning he was doing this morning. "The _forest_ is rejecting him? Since when was the forest a person? And what do you mean by rejecting?"

Alfred opened his mouth, eager to explain when Arthur interrupted. "Alfred, I think it's best for me to clear things up. It's my business after all." Alfred protested but a gentle look from the spirit quieted him. And so Arthur turned to Matthew.

"Although I call myself a forest spirit, it's not quite accurate. I'm not a being of the forest, I _am_ the forest. I share the same soul as the forest." Arthur placed a hand to his chest, feeling its lack of a heartbeat. "This body is made from earth and I created it from my will and magic. It's the only way humans can see me. Otherwise, my soul will return back to the forest. The forest is just my true body, of sorts."

Arthur clenched his hands. "But something happened last night. Even I can't explain it since it's never happened before but it's like the forest has developed its own will and separated itself from my soul. It didn't allow this physical body to form and it took everything out of me to escape from the forest's grasp. And when I was able to form this body, it immediately began to decompose - as if the forest wanted to absorb me back into the earth."

"So how did you escape?" Matthew asked. 

"I found him in the lake," Alfred answered, his face uncharacteristically sullen. 

Arthur nodded. "I ran to water. The lake was only place where I didn't need to touch land so I was able to slightly recover there. I had planned to think of a solution or reason to this problem there but then Alfred had to come along and transport me here." He turned to glare at the man from the corner of his eyes.

Alfred raised his hands up defensively. "It was a good solution, wasn't it? At least you don't have to worry about accidently touching the earth or something if you're in the house." 

"I admit it was a good idea, but there was no need for you to carry me in such an undignified manner all the way here," he grumbled lowly.

"It was the easiest way to do it!" 

Unable to help but picture it in his head, Matthew almost laughed. Knowing Alfred, he probably carried the spirit bridal-style. The majority of men would find that position embarrassing in the first place anyway so he wasn't surprised Arthur was still brooding over it. But as much as he enjoyed their bickering. . .

"So? Any ideas as to why this is happening to you?" He asked, bringing them back on topic. "Why would the forest prevent you from forming your physical body?"

Arthur reposed himself and thought for a few moments in silence. "At first, I thought maybe it was because I had successfully persuaded Alfred into rethinking his construction methods. Since the goal was completed, there wasn't a need for a physical body anymore."

"If that's the case then I'll just cut down more trees!" Alfred suggested. 

"Don't be an idiot," Matthew groaned. "You'd have to get permission from higher up to do that. And that'd be backtracking our plans. Our bosses are going to really think you've gone crazy to keep changing your mind like this." 

"I'll do it myself! You still have that chainsaw in the shed, right?"

"I do but like hell I'll let you use that ancient thing."

"But Mattie-"

"Let's not be to hasty, Alfred," Arthur quickly interrupted his whining. "I don't know if I'm still connected with the forest but if you go cutting down trees when I'm in this state, it might worsen my condition."

Matthew was surprised to see how fast Alfred quieted down, his face instantly dropping in realization. "Right. . ." 

But the Canadian didn't understand. "Wait, why might it be worse for you? Wouldn't it mean weakening the forest and make it easier for you to move around?"

Arthur shook his head. "I understand why you'd say that but the forest used to be my true body. Anything that happens to the forest would affect my physical body. That's why I was so insistent on stopping your project. Extensively cutting down trees equals the pain of someone carving your organs out while you're kept awake."

Both humans grimaced at the blunt description and Matthew muttered. "I see. . ."

"If Alfred went around cutting everything down, I might get the blunt of the damage. Either way, I don't believe that's the case," Arthur continued. "For the forest to develop its own will is a heavy change. I've successfully dealt with threats before and nothing like this has ever happened. And nothing about this case is any different than past incidents." 

"Then maybe it's to protect you?" Matthew suggested. 

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "But protect me from what?"

"Maybe from Alfred?" 

"What?! Why me?" 

Matthew gave his cousin a look. "Well if I was a forest and my spirit decided to get friendly with the person who's cutting me down, I'd be pretty anxious. It's like if someone was trying to kill _you_ and our boss decided to marry them."

"W-Well it's not like I'm marrying Arthur or anything," Alfred sputtered, cheeks turning red. 

Matthew deadpanned. " _That's_ the only thing you've picked up from what I said? Alfred," he growled, "I'm saying that the forest might be trying to take Arthur back in order to get him away from _you_."

At his words, something cold chilled the air and the uncomfortable feeling in Alfred's gut returned, his frivolous emotions instantly dissipating. The silence that followed lasted too long for any of them to pass off Matthew's reasoning as unreasonable. 

Rather, it was the most reasonable explanation so far. 

And Alfred grew frightened. 

"B-But why would it try to do that?"

Matthew shrugged a shoulder. "Probably because you two have gotten close enough for it to worry about Arthur changing sides or something." He still couldn’t really believe he was talking about the forest as if it was a conscious being, but this day wasn't exactly the most sane one he's had.

"So you're saying it's seeing me as a threat now?" Arthur asked. 

"I'm just assuming," admitted Matthew. "But it doesn't sound impossible. Depends how strong you two feel for each other but if it's enough for you and the forest to split, and it having its own will is pretty unimaginable in the first place, then. . ."

Arthur thought hard to himself, something uncomfortable creeping over his skin as he processed the possibility. 

He'd be lying if he said he hadn't grown a soft spot for Alfred. He couldn't hide the fact he'd developed feelings for the human as the weeks passed. But did that mean his priorities changed? Did his will unknowingly differentiate from that of the forest? Could it be that they wanted different things now?

Arthur clenched the hem of Alfred's shirt where it bunched at his waist. 

Did he love Alfred more than the forest? 

What scared him the most was that he already knew his answer.

Alfred tried to laugh it off, the tense silence getting to him. "M-Maybe that's true," he said as lightly as he could. But his voice evidently caught in his throat when he tried to talk over it. "B-But I was thinking that maybe it's protecting Arthur from something else. . . Like from. . . Um. . ."

Matthew wasn't convinced. And he knew his cousin wasn't either. "Like what then?"

"I-I don't know, um-" Alfred wracked his brain. "Maybe it's so that Arthur won't have to suffer that much from the construction." He eagerly turned to Arthur. "It hurts more when you're in your physical body, right?" He asked, eyes watery with a silent plea.

Arthur felt a sharp pang in his chest to see that sorrowful expression on Alfred's face - an expression of denial and regret. Judging from how hard it was for him to fake a smile, maybe he had the same expression too. "It does. . . But-"

"Right!" Alfred interrupted, the desperation for another answer raising his voice a pitch higher. "So maybe the forest wanted to keep Arthur so that he wouldn't feel too much pain."

"But would that reason be enough for Arthur's personality to separate from the forest's?" Matthew asked, half directing the question at Arthur and half rhetorically. The spirit's eyes turn downcast and he felt Alfred's forlorn gaze burning him from the side. 

He knew Alfred knew. The man just didn't want to hear it. 

Arthur didn't want to hear it either.

But he shook his head. "No," he practically whispered. "It wouldn't be enough."

"So then I guess you've found your answer," said Matthew a little bitterly. He wasn't bitter at any of them, but at the reality of the situation. He wasn't really part of it and there were still a lot of things he couldn't understand, but from what he _did_ know, this was a really shitty wake-up call.

With how heavy his chest was feeling, Arthur felt like the earth was absorbing him back all over again as he agreed with Matthew. He couldn't decide whether or not he wanted to thank Matthew for his straightforwardness or loathe him for it. "It's. . . the most reasonable explanation so far. . . Unless we come up with other reasons I guess-" 

"There has to be another reason!" Alfred urged. "There-. . .There just _has_ to be. . ." His eyes darted between Arthur and his cousin but none of their expressions seemed hopeful. Rather, one seemed helpless and the other apologetic. Alfred mindlessly shook his head, feeling his throat constrict in frustration. "There's got to be some other reason. . ."

But no one was able to think of one.

Matthew sighed and leaned back against the couch. He was trying to think of something else, he really was. But after hitting home with his past answer, he saw no other way around it. 

But it was painful to see Alfred like this. 

Arthur might be a stranger but Alfred was his cousin. Years of professional debates have steeled Matthew's heart and mind to think straight black and white, but to see his cousin so emotionally distraught shook something inside of him. Being the level-headed one in most situations, it was the first time Matthew ever wanted to take back his words. But some other part of him knew that sugar-coating his words could only make things worse. 

"Alfred," Matthew sighed. "Do you love him?"

Alfred didn't lift his head.

"Alfred-"

Alfred abruptly stood up. "I. . . need some time to think about this," he mumbled, excusing himself. The other two males could only watch as his back disappeared upstairs. When they heard a door close, Matthew turned back around and sighed again. Now it was only him and the spirit left.

Arthur stared down at his feet. "I apologize if I've caused you any inconvenience," he said, resigned and quiet. Matthew studied him for a few seconds in silence, unsure if he should respond to the apology or not. Sure, he felt sorry for the guy and he knew his apology was genuine, but it was just too damn early in the morning to deal with this kind of depressing turn of events.

"Then tell me," Matthew said.

Arthur looked up. 

"Do _you_ love him?"

Arthur looked back down. ". . . I do."

"More than the forest?"

Arthur closed his eyes, his voice quieter than the wind.

"More than the forest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I have 2 endings possible for this fic...
> 
> Do you guys want the bittersweet ending or a sappy/happy one? XD


	17. Chapter 17

Arthur slid open the backdoor to the deck. 

Alfred sat on the stairs leading down to the forest path, his back hunched and his posture small. Arthur didn't need to see the man's face to know it wasn't happy. 

Quietly sliding the door closed behind him, Arthur walked up to him. "Alfred?" He put a hand on the small of his back. "Hey, you okay?"

Alfred had his face buried in his arms and he answered with a muffled and miserable, "No."

Arthur sat beside him on the stairs, sighing. "It was just a guess," he said in attempts to comfort Alfred. "Like you said, maybe there's another reason to all this." But despite trying to brighten his tone, it fell flat as Arthur's own hopelessness dug deeper into what could've been his heart.

Alfred shook his head without bothering to lift it. "You know Mattie's right. _I_ know Mattie's right. I-. . . I just don't want to believe it." He curled in on himself even more, making him seem even smaller if that was possible for a man of his build. ". . . Did he leave?"

Arthur nodded. "He left for work just now. He told me to tell you not to worry about anything right now and to take the time to figure things out." Alfred's small grunt was the only sign he understood and he went back into his reserved state.

With the dreary atmosphere killing any comforting words he could offer, Arthur decided it'd be best not to say anything at all. Neither of them were stupid. They both understood the weight of the situation. But accepting it was a whole other level of difficulty that challenged their tolerance to heartache. 

Arthur looked out into the forest and all its green glory. Basked in warmth, the forest looked so beautiful and serene that he almost forgot the nightmare he suffered through that night. Looking down at his hands, he tested their strength once again, hope falling when they failed to clench without shaking. 

It felt so unreal to be separated from the forest. Even now, he couldn't feel it anymore. Their connection was gone. 

Before, his very breath controlled the wind. The flick of his hand moved the trees. The life of the forest flowed through every inch of his body, the magic strong and alive. 

But now? 

Other than whatever magic he had left in this body, his powers had been taken from him. He was hardly any different that the other spirts that roamed the forest. And with this body made from nothing but soil, he was but an empty shell. If the forest succeeded in taking his soul away, nothing would be left to keep this body together and it would crumble back to earth. 

He felt very small. And powerless. 

And Arthur hated it.

A spark of pain burned through Arthur's core and it was a rotten mix between sorrow and anger. 

Yes, he was angry. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't at least a _little_ mad at this turn of events. How could the forest do this? Did he really deserve this outcome? Even if he did love Alfred, was that really able to justify the forest severing their ties? After all those years, the forest was rejecting the very soul that protected it? 

Beside him, Alfred let out a shaky sigh and he tried to steady his breathing, struggling to deal with whatever dark thoughts were currently plaguing his head. Arthur watched him with a sad gaze, the bitterness in his heart cooling as he remembered that neither of them were having a good time with this. 

No, the forest was probably right to be scared. Ever since the beginning of Arthur's existence, it was his duty to grow and flourish as a forest. It was his very reason for living. But when humans began to take root and mercilessly cut away at his land and cleared the land of his friends, he knew something had to be done. And lashing out while taking on the role of a haunted forest wasn't exactly the best way to go about it. Rather, it only gave the humans more reason to do away with him.

So he created this body. With a face and audible voice, he had avoided many disasters throughout his years of living. But this was the first time someone had actually listened to his entire story. His plea had finally reached someone and although his forest wouldn't be completely unscathed, Arthur felt more than happy with the final outcome. What's more was that Alfred was actually trying to find ways to _help_ him as well.

But apparently, the feeling wasn't mutual and the forest had other ideas.

Looking back at the greenery laid out in front of him, Arthur shivered at the thought of what could happen if the forest successfully absorbed him back. Would it be like last night when his soul was still conscious but helpless to do anything? Or, after this act of defiance, would his consciousness disappear forever? 

Arthur's hands nervously gripped the stairs at his side. He didn't want to think about it.

The spirit turned his gaze to the human beside him. Alfred had lifted his head back up but his eyes were steeled to the ground with a mix of emotions on his face. The man's initial tearfulness had been replaced with his usual stubborn anger and his brows were knit in a frustrated frown. Seeing Alfred like this made Arthur hurt more than the weight of his own situation. 

Arthur gently touched Alfred's arm. "Alfred, you don't need to blame yourself for all this. I'm partially responsible for this as well, you know." Alfred shook his head and Arthur pressed on. "I'm fine with it, really."

"But Arthur, _I'm_ not fine with it." Alfred looked into his eyes - they were a very painful blue. "How can I be when I know my feelings are _killing_ you?" 

Arthur shook his head and his grip on Alfred's arm tightened. "This is between me and the forest. The forest isn't separating us because of your feelings for me. It's trying to separate us because of _my_ feelings for _you_." 

Alfred searched Arthur's eyes, their bright hues wet with desperation and pain. "But I'm making this harder for you. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to choose between me or the forest. The forest would've never separated from you."

"So you're saying it was wrong of me to fall for you?" 

"Yeah. _No!_ . . . I don't know," Alfred groaned, burying his face back into his hands. "I just don't want you to disappear." 

"And I don't want to disappear either." Arthur took Alfred's hands and it made him turn his body towards him. They sat in silence for a long while, Arthur holding Alfred's hands - feeling their warmth - and Alfred squeezing them as if reassuring himself the spirit was still there. 

If Arthur were to disappear. . . 

_'If I were to disappear. . . I would never be able to touch Alfred ever again.'_

Arthur felt his throat constrict, his emotions getting the better of him. Inhaling a deep, shaking breath, he willed his dreadful thoughts away and looked up to meet Alfred's eyes. Seeing how the torment was mirrored in those blue eyes almost made Arthur completely break down. 

It was a long time before Arthur gathered the courage the speak.

"Alfred, whatever the reason may be. . . If the forest really intends to take me back because of my feelings for you then so be it. It's too late to do anything about it and it's not like we can do anything about it anyway." Alfred was about to protest when Arthur shook his head to silence him, a sad smile on his face. "I can't exactly will away my feelings for you, Alfred. . . Can _you_?"

Alfred shook his head. "I wouldn't want to," he admitted quietly, voice breaking. 

"I wouldn't want to either." Arthur looked down at their joined hands, gripping them tighter. "I don't regret any of this."

"And that's what I'm scared about," Alfred said weakly. "Arthur, I'm I really worth more than your forest?"

"You're worth more than _me_. The forest _is_ me. I was protecting myself," he corrected. "But not anymore. . . The forest isn't part of me anymore. I have my own free will now." He placed a comforting hand on Alfred's cheek, smiling with a broken voice. "And now I can be free to love you. As long as I stay here I can live as myself, not as the forest. "

Alfred placed his hand over Arthur's on his cheek, leaning into its cool touch. "But you've spent your entire life protecting it. How can I just take that away from you?"

"You're not taking it away from me, Alfred. It was the forest's decision, not yours. And if anything, I'm the main cause for it. You're not responsible. Besides," he continued. "I'll eventually return to it one way or another. Spirits can't really die, remember?" His voice dropped, hesitating. "But humans can."

The reality that Arthur was a spirit with a practically eternal life span hit Alfred like a boulder. And the fact that he himself was human hurt his heart in ways he didn't think were possible. 

He would eventually die. . . And Arthur would continue to live. 

"Oh God," Alfred breathed. And Arthur knew he had said something wrong when Alfred's hands began to shake.

He harshly gripped Alfred's hands to snap him out of his shock. "Alfred, look at me. _Look at me._ " The human did, his eyes wider than they should be. "I didn't say that to have you blame yourself because of it. I said it because it's part of my reason-Goddamn it, Alfred, _look at me!_ " 

Alfred was trying so hard to compress his mental distress that his shoulders were shaking. He was holding onto Arthur's hands so tightly that Arthur almost feared him shattering them. Arthur mentally cursed himself for not taking care of his words and their deliverance. But seeing how much Alfred was struggling, Arthur knew the man was still trying to see the bright side to his dark thoughts, grasping onto whatever hope they had left.

Feeling his eyes begin to sting from his own tears, Arthur spoke through his own torments. "Alfred, humans have a shorter life span than we do. It gives me all the more reason to choose you over my forest and it's only one of the _hundred_ reasons why you're worth more to me than the forest. So please don't blame yourself for this, Alfred. Don't-," Arthur's voice cracked and a few tears fell down his face. With his throat tightening, it made it difficult to breathe let alone get his point across.

Arthur staring dead into Alfred's frightened eyes and he forcibly growled out his words despite the hot tears streaming down his face. A torturous combination of frustration and pain and all that is love spilling unwillingly from his lips. "D-Don't you _dare_ blame yourself, because if you do, that's like saying I was wrong to fall in love with you. T-That's like saying that we both made a mistake and that there's no meaning in fighting for this. Please don't say that it's wrong of us to love each other, I-" Arthur's voice caught in his throat and he clasped a hand over his mouth in attempts to calm his tremors. But his cries leaked through. He gripped Alfred's hand, the skin burning and numb as was his heart. "Please don't say that it was a mistake to fall in love with me," he sobbed. 

And in one swift movement, Alfred gathered the crying spirit into his arms with a hush of his name. 

"I'm sorry, Arthur, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that, I didn't." Alfred felt his own tears trail down his cheeks and into the spirit's hair as he buried his face into it. "Shh, don't cry. Please, don't cry."

Arthur tried to pull himself closer to Alfred's chest, shaking his head. 

Alfred pulled the spirit closer, gently rocking him. "I just couldn't see why you'd choose me over the forest. But I could never say that it's wrong of us to love each other," he murmured. "I feel so _helpless_ , Arthur. Even if you say I'm not to blame, I'm once again part of your problems and I can't do anything about it."

"You don't need to do anything about it." Arthur gathered Alfred's shirt into his fist. "Just be here with me."

Sighing, Alfred blinked away whatever tears remained and coughed an airy laugh. "God, I love you so much," he rasped, tightening his arms around the spirit. Arthur melted into him, his breaths still shaky but his tears gradually stopping. 

Embraced in Alfred's arms, it felt warmer than the sun.

And for the longest time, the two sat there holding each other without uttering another word. They didn't say anything; they didn't need to say anything else. Just _feeling_ each other and letting the reality of their words sink in. And in the silence, their minds cleared. 

Listening to Alfred's strong heartbeat, Arthur's decision to treasure Alfred more than the forest stood stronger than ever. He knew that if he went back to the forest or even rejected his feelings for Alfred (as if there was that possibility in the first place), he would regret it for his entire eternity. Whatever happens to him later didn't matter. All he wanted now - all he cared about now - was to live as his own being, with Alfred, for as long as he could.

And with the spirit in his arms, still cool to the touch, Alfred breathed in his earthy scent. The smell of flowers still lingered in his hair. It was then Alfred reaffirmed how simply _precious_ Arthur was to him as they sat there together basking in the morning sun. The guilt that he felt in feeling somewhat responsible would never go away, but the reality that there wasn't anything else they could do pushed that disgusting feeling to the back of his mind. He would never again doubt the sincerity of his feelings nor think that it was regretful that Arthur cared for him. 

He had promised the other spirits that he'd protect Arthur. Of course, he didn't think that meant protecting him against the forest itself, but Alfred wasn't one to fret over details. He simply promised to protect Arthur and that's what he'll do. 

"So." Alfred broke the silence, his voice dry enough to sound like he hadn't used it in days. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing," Arthur replied.

"Nothing?"

"There's nothing we can do," he sighed. Alfred couldn't see his face but he knew the spirit was tired. They both were. "I can't go back to the forest and I can't get rid of my feelings for you so I'm left with no other choices."

"Will your body be okay if you keep staying with me?" 

Arthur tucked in his legs a little closer. "To be honest, I'm not sure. It's technically fine for me to live outside the forest since I'm its soul, and as long as the forest is still standing, I'll be alright. But now that our souls are separated, I don't know what's going to happen." 

"I'm totally fine with you just staying like this with me forever."

Arthur hummed in soft agreement. "That wouldn't be too bad of a plan."

"You can pass off as a human," Alfred pointed out. " And you could live with me and Matthew. . . Or I could find a place for us to live if Mattie doesn't want us here."

Arthur closed his eyes and relaxed, listening to Alfred's ideas of a possible future. "And once you pass I'll be able to go back to the forest without any regrets."

"Arthur, don't say that," Alfred whined, his heart hurting again. "Way to ruin the mood," he sighed, the familiar lightness of his tonality returning. The dim humour of it actually sounded misplaced amongst the foreboding mood, but neither of them mentioned it. Rather, they welcomed it. It was an easy escape, and sometimes running away was better than digging a deeper wound. 

"But it's true." Arthur breathed in Alfred's scent, allowing himself to be completely intoxicated.

"That doesn’t mean I want to hear it," he pouted.

A laugh rumbled through Arthur's chest. "That just means we'll have to enjoy as much time as we can with each other." 

"I guess. . ."

Arthur snuggled into a more comfortable position. "Don't worry about it," he said airily. "So, what other possibilities have you thought of for us? I'm curious."

Alfred's cheeks coloured and he rested his chin on the top of Arthur's head. "Oh, not that many, really. I was just starting to think about it now."

Arthur smiled. "Tell me more. I'd like to hear them." 

And as he listened to Alfred talk about the future, falling victim to his lulling voice, Arthur knew that no matter what happens, he would never regret his decision. He would never regret choosing Arthur over the forest - over himself - for the eternity of his life.

His voice was hardly above a whisper when Alfred's name escaped his lips. He hadn't meant to, but he must've accidently interrupted the other man. 

"Alfred?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." 

And it was so easy to say. It was almost laughable how with its ease carried a sense of heaviness that grasped their hearts like poison.

After a few breathless seconds, he felt Alfred's chest heave as the man swallowed the rising lump in his throat. When he buried his face into Arthur's hair, the spirit felt his lukewarm tears. 

He didn't need to say anything for Arthur to hear him, his reply clearer than day as it echoed along with his heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to go lie down for a bit. . . again. . . 
> 
> We're close to the end! Probably one more chapter before a split so hang in there everyone! This will now be Part 1 and Parts 2 and 3 will be the two endings. . . I guess. . . 
> 
> Still not sure how this works LOL
> 
> Another huge thank you to everyone for your support, kudos, comments, the whole sha-bam. Seeing all the notifications is like slapping on band-aids to this wounded heart of mine. TuT


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go~

It wasn't until a few months later did Arthur see his skin begin to crumble.

Summer was slowly ending when the spirit noticed something was wrong, the leaves of what used to be his forest turning brilliant shades of fire outside the windows. 

Standing on the porch, Arthur walked towards the railings, resting his elbows on them as he studied the forest. With both Alfred and Matthew out of the house for work, the quiet often brought Arthur outside as he unconsciously yearned for something to comfort him in his times of loneliness.

It was never truly silent in the forest. 

Arthur inhaled the musky air, closing his eyes to savor the scent. It had rained the night before and many leaves had fallen, plastered to the dirt. And as the wind brushed through the canopy, Arthur could feel the remaining droplets wet his skin, their impact cool and soothing. From within the depths of the forest, he could hear its many sounds of life. A bird. The common squirrel. 

Something inside of Arthur ached. 

He opened his eyes to take in the colour surrounding him, the green of his eyes now contracting against the flames of the leaves. 

This homesickness of his wasn't anything new. Rather, it had started too quickly to Arthur's liking. He had originally thought he'd be fine living in Matthew's house considering its fairly large size, but his body thought differently. His fingers yearned for the rough drag of bark. His feet wished to be surrounded in grass again. 

It was like an itch he couldn't quite scratch. 

Of course, Alfred had done his best to help Arthur cope. Sometimes carrying him to the lake, Arthur would swim around for a bit before Alfred carried him back. He even lent Arthur shoes for those particularly hard days when he felt the urge to walk there himself. Still, it couldn't fully heal the ache Arthur felt inside him. 

Yet, he regretted nothing. Even if the ache wasn't able to disappear, at least these past few month with Alfred had been more than enough to distract him. 

Whenever Alfred would come home, the way he smiled the moment he laid his eyes on Arthur gave the spirit sparks in his stomach. When evenings rolled around, they relaxed in each other's arm in the upstairs loft - Alfred's head on Arthur's lap usually - while they recalled the events that occurred during the day. 

On Alfred's day-offs, he often asked Arthur if the spirit had any requests. Arthur never openly asked for anything, but Alfred was always listening. If Arthur mentioned even the slightest thing about wanting something, or was curious about anything, Alfred remembered. 

First, it had been to see a library. Then, Alfred took him to the movies. A few weeks later, Alfred found his guitar and showed him what music sounded like. Little by little, Arthur learned what it was like to live as a human, just as he taught Alfred what it was like to live as a forest spirit. 

Arthur smiled to himself as the memories flooded his head. How exciting life had become now that he had left the safety of his forest. 

A passing breeze blew some stray leaves onto the porch, some getting caught by Arthur's ankles. He bent down to pick one up, turning it around in his fingers to admire its red-orange gradient. 

But when the texture suddenly felt grainy, Arthur froze. He let the leaf go and it fluttered lifelessly to the ground.

Arthur stared at his fingers, a shock of fear wrenching something horrid in his body. 

The skin on the pads of his fingers were crumbling off, revealing the dark dirt underneath the broken shell. On his other fingers were more cracks that drew thin lines down the appendages. And when Arthur searched the rest of his body, he was horrified to see that there were even more poisonous marks tracing up his arms and legs. He tentatively picked at the scabs forming by his wrist, immediately flinching away when more of his skin fell away in flakes. 

"Arthur, I'm back!" The spirit started at Alfred's voice and turned to see the man making his way through the house towards him. Alfred grinned. "I knew you'd be out here."

Arthur hurried to put on a smile of his own and hid his wrist from plain sight. "Welcome back," he greeted as Alfred opened the backdoor to step outside. "How was work?" Alfred jokingly pulled a face in response and Arthur laughed. "That bad?"

"Nah, I'm just kidding." Alfred walked up beside him and planted a light kiss on Arthur's forehead. "Everything's working out really well. Installed some stuff like radiant heating systems today so nothing super exciting. But it's nice to see it all coming together now so I can't complain too much."

Arthur turned back to rest his arms on the railings and leaned into Alfred when he put an arm around his shoulders. "I'm happy to hear it's working out well."

"And you? Don't tell me you spent the whole day out here again."

Arthur shook his head. "I just came out a few minutes ago."

"Still, it's getting really chilly out these days." Alfred looked around and went to grab a blanket from one of the patio chairs. Wrapping it around Arthur, he pulled Arthur back into him. "Make sure you don't catch a cold or anything."

Arthur laughed through his nose. "Spirits don't catch colds, Alfred. We don't even feel the cold."

"Well you never know. Things are different for you now so we got to be extra careful," said Alfred, purposefully emphasizing the heroic tone to his words. 

Rolling his eyes, Arthur smiled anyway. "Right, of course."

Alfred laughed and looked out into the forest, briefly scanning the area. "Anything interesting happen today?"

"Hm, not really."

"Are you sure? You looked kind of bummed out when I saw you."

Arthur felt his injured fingers involuntarily flinch and he shrunk just a little bit more into the blanket. "Did I? Maybe I was just feeling a little lonely without you here." 

Alfred bloomed into a blinding smile, his cheeks warming just a shade darker. "What, you missed me?"

"Of course I did." Arthur wrapped the blanket tighter around himself and straightened up. "Now c'mon. Let's go inside before _you_ catch a cold." Laughing, Alfred followed, and Arthur only hoped that he didn't seem too suspicious as he quickly retreated away from Alfred's watchful eyes. 

. . .

Days passed and the skin by Arthur's wrist begin to tear. The dark patches continue to grow on the inside of his thigh as well. 

Arthur was just glad they were in places that could easily be hidden.

. . .

Halloween was the day Alfred decided to take Arthur out to town for the first time. When Arthur worried about his appearance, Alfred reassured him that others will only think he was wearing a costume. Arthur only hesitantly agreed when Matthew encouraged him to go. 

To walk among so many humans so casually was both nerve-wracking and exhilarating. Upon coming home, Arthur still felt the adrenaline flowing through his body and he couldn't help the grin plastered on his face.

But his happiness was quickly extinguished when he saw that his entire forearm was now covered in cracks, skin peeling away at the slightest movement. It didn't hurt, but Arthur felt a whole level of pain to watch his body fall apart right in front of his eyes.

He had to decline Alfred's invitation to sleep with him that night. When Alfred asked why, Arthur simply said he wasn't tired.

Alfred didn't ask any more questions.

. . . 

Most of the leaves had fallen off the trees at this point of the year when Arthur asked Alfred if he could borrow some of his clothes. 

When Alfred asked why, Arthur simply smiled. "Maybe I _am_ starting to feel a little chilly now." 

He hid his arm behind his back, the movement causing more flakes of skin to crumble off his completely dark forearm.

Alfred laughed, oblivious. "Sure, use whatever you need." 

He didn't ask any more questions. 

. . . 

A few days after the first snowfall, Arthur began to wear paints - a strange picture for Alfred to take in considering how he's never seen the man wear anything besides a loincloth. 

"Hey, Mattie."

"Hm?"

"Do you think it's because it's winter that Arthur's starting to wear more clothes? I thought spirits didn't get cold."

Matthew shrugged. "Maybe it's because he's used to living with us now and decided that walking around half-naked is getting a bit weird."

Alfred snorted. "Weird for us or weird for him?"

"At least I'm not the one who keeps ogling him whenever he walks around." 

"I-I don't _ogle_ him!" Alfred sputtered, turning bright red. 

It was Matthew's turn to snort. "Right. Sure you're not."

Alfred didn't ask any more questions.

. . . 

At Christmas, they exchanged presents with each other, and it was Arthur's first time receiving one. Holding the scarf in his hands, Arthur felt his fingers shake as he gripped the soft green fabric. 

"I know you say spirits don't feel cold, but since you've been wearing clothing more often these days and go out to town sometimes, I thought giving you some winter stuff would be a good idea." Alfred scratched the back of his head, bashful. 

Arthur wrapped the scarf around his neck and buried his nose into it, ignoring how his arms ached from the movement. "Thank you, Alfred. It's beautiful." 

At least now he had something to cover the cracks on his neck too.

. . . 

New Year's came and went and Arthur saw fireworks up-close for the first time. Due to fire hazards, they were always lit away from his territory lest any stray sparks lit his forest on fire. But now, with Alfred by his side and Matthew lost somewhere else in the crowd, they watched as the night sky lit up with unimaginable colours. 

But walking home, Arthur suddenly felt his legs shake and his vision blur. His head started to hurt as pain throbbed at his temples. Brushing off Alfred and Matthew's concerns, he excused himself to sleep the moment they arrived back home.

He didn't wake up for two days.

. . .

"Arthur, you're not looking so good," Matthew noticed one day while Alfred was out to grab groceries. "Are you okay?"

Arthur was sitting huddled in the corner of the couch, a blanket covering the majority of his body while he cradled a book on his lap. He blinked out of his faraway expression and looked to Matthew in confusion. "Ah, I'm sorry, were you saying something?"

Matthew frowned in concern. "I was just wondering if you were okay. You look like you're sick or something." 

Something flashed in Arthur's eyes and the spirit looked away, a nervous smile pulling at his mouth. "Do I look that bad?"

Matthew chewed the inside of his mouth. "Not. . . really." But although it wasn't blatantly obvious, the spirit had definitely lost some vibrancy - like a t-shirt that had been washed too many times. The blond of his hair had faded and the greenish tinge of his skin had turned an ashy grey. Any signs of growing flora that usually showed around his neck or decorated his hair were gone. "You just don't look very well," Matthew admitted honestly. 

"Do you think Alfred will notice?"

Something about that question made Matthew's suspicions rise. ". . . What's going on?" He asked. "Are you trying to hide something from him?"

Arthur smiled to himself and closed his book, sliding down to rest his head against the couch's armrest. "I'm just trying to spend as many carefree days with him as possible." 

"Are you eventually going to tell him what's going on? He's not exactly the best person at figuring things out on his own, you know." 

"I know." Arthur chuckled to himself. "I'll tell him soon." He glanced over at Matthew. "And I'm assuming you've figured it out already?"

Matthew's expression softened and he walked to sit on the seat closest to him. There was a heavy moment of silence before he spoke. "How much longer do you have?"

"Not that much longer now," Arthur answered quietly. 

"Does this have to do with what happened last time on New Year's?" Matthew asked.

"Yes." Arthur's voice was rougher now as he closed his eyes, sighing as he shifted into a more comfortable position. "And if it happens again, I doubt it'll be for only two days."

Matthew clenched his teeth in frustration. Things have been working out so well between Alfred and Arthur up until now. Looks like it really was too good to be true. "When Alfred comes back, you should let him know what's going on. It'd be better if you told him sooner than later."

Arthur sleepily smiled. "I'm sorry, Matthew. For making you worry, I mean."

Silently, Matthew took in a breath to try and loosen how tight his chest felt. "Alfred's important to me. And you're important to him. Apologize to me after you get better, okay?"

Arthur laughed. "I'll try my best."

However, when Alfred got home half-an-hour later, Arthur had fallen asleep. He didn't wake up when Alfred tried to call out to him and he didn't even wake up when Alfred shook him.

Arthur didn't wake up for three whole weeks.

. . .

When Arthur did wake up, he found himself on Alfred's bed, lying on the side he usually slept on. Blinking away the sleep in his eyes, Arthur tried to look around, the rest of his body barely responsive. Alfred was sitting in a chair by his bedside, his head in his hands. 

"Al. . . fred?" 

The man's head then immediately shot up. "Arthur?!" He went to sit on the bed, using a hand to cradle Arthur's cheek. "Hey, you okay? How are you feeling?" 

Arthur could see how red his eyes were from endless nights of crying and smiled. "You didn't cry again this time, did you?"

Alfred's expression turned angry and he sniffed. "So what if I did? You were out for _three weeks!_ I thought you were dead!" 

The guilt softened Arthur's expression. "Ah. . . has it really been that long?" 

Wiping whatever stray tears were left with the back of his hand, Alfred straightened himself up and turned to face the wall, his eyes glued to the ground. Arthur followed him with his gaze, silently watching Alfred's back as he waited for him to ask his questions. It felt like more than a century had passed since he was last awake, and that was really saying something considering centuries passed like hours for spirits like him.

Alfred sniffed and wiped at his face again, letting out a shaky sigh before speaking. "Are you going to tell me what's going on now? Are you-?" Alfred choked up, clearing his throat before continuing. ". . . Are you really dying?"

Arthur turned his gaze back to the ceiling. "Did Matthew tell you?"

" _Answer me,_ Arthur."

Arthur thought he had been ready to tell Alfred everything and that it was going to be a simple task to say the truth. He closed his eyes, sighing. 

Guess he was wrong. 

"Yes, Alfred. . . I'm dying."

A suffocating silence followed as Alfred's body began to shake, his mind and heart shattering into pieces. His breaths came too quickly and his throat moved violently in his efforts to speak coherently through his tremors. He doubled over in muffled sobs as he buried his face back in his hands. "Oh God," he wept. "Oh God. . ."

"Alfred. . ."

"This can't be happening." Alfred shook his head, voice pitched higher as he struggled to stay calm. "Why is this happening?! I thought everything was fine until now!"

Arthur tried to reach a hand out. "Alfred-"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" He sobbed, unsure whether to feel more betrayed, angry, or sad. "Why didn't you _tell_ me?!"

Seeing Alfred like this made Arthur's eyes start to sting. "I didn't want you to worry," he answered in a shaky whisper. "Nothing could've prevented this from happening and I didn't want our time together to be wasted on needless worrying."

"Needless worrying?!" Alfred repeated in disbelief, violently turning to face the spirit, his voice and expression now a mess of sorrow and tears. "Arthur, I'm about to _lose_ you!" 

A sob seized Arthur's throat. "But there's nothing you could've done," he insisted, desperation making his tone raspy. 

Alfred shook his head in denial. "There must've been _something_ we could've done!"

Overcome with frustration, Arthur forced his body to listen and pushed himself up into sitting position. Alfred watched in shock and concern as Arthur took off his sweater.

"Arthur? Wha-"

"Look at me, Alfred!" Arthur threw the shirt aside and gestured to his broken body. "I'm long past the point of saving. There's nothing you could've done to prevent this!"

Seeing how much of Arthur's skin was gone, Alfred forgot how to breathe, his heart stopping at the sight.

Like a porcelain doll left in abandon, chunks of Arthur's skin were missing, revealing the dirt foundation of his body underneath. Only a few patches remained around his abdomen, neck, and hands. But even there, cracks webbed over the skin, flaking off at the littlest movement. 

Arthur was falling apart. 

And Alfred's stomach turned at the sight. Not from disgust, but self-loathing that he hadn't noticed sooner. 

Now everything made sense. The clothing. The blankets. The scarf. _This_ was the reason why Arthur wanted all of them - so that he could hide the fact that he was _dying._

The anguish assaulted Alfred like wildfire. An ugly sob escaped from his mouth and the tears that had stopped from the initial shock spilled forth all over again. 

Uncontrollable. Unstoppable. 

His mind couldn't understand and his heart was breaking. 

"Is there nothing I can do to stop this?" He sobbed.

Arthur shook his head and wrapped his arms around the crying man, embracing him with as much strength as his weak arms could muster. "I'm sorry," he apologized, voice breaking with quiet sobs of his own. "I'm sorry."

"Why do I have to be so useless?" Alfred cried, the complaint sounding pathetic to his own ears. "Why can't I ever _do_ anything for you?" 

Arthur shushed him. "Alfred, you've done so much for me already." He used his hands to force Alfred to look into his eyes. Muted green and tortured blue stared into each other with mirroring tears. "You listened to me. Believed in me. And most of all, you loved me." He smiled through his tears. " _And that's enough._ "

Alfred took Arthur into his arms, burying his face into the crook of Arthur's neck as he continued to sob. "I don't want you to die. We haven't spent enough time together!" 

Arthur combed his hands through Alfred's hair, blinking away his own tears. To comfort him by saying spirits couldn't die would be nothing but a painful lie now. With so much uncertainty, Arthur couldn't offer anything to soothe Alfred's cries. "Alfred, I want you to listen to me. The decision I made to stay with you has been the best choice I have ever made in my life. I could never regret all the precious moments I shared with you. So no matter what happens to me, I want you to remember that my soul is yours. And as long as you have it, you'll be able to hear me wherever I am and wherever you are. I won't leave you."

Arthur hugged him tighter. "Then can I stay with you even now?" Not knowing when Arthur's last moments would be was terrifying. And luckily, he didn't need to explain why for Arthur to understand.

The spirit nodded. "There's nothing I would love more."

. . . 

Afternoon turned to dusk and dusk turned to night. While holding one another in each other's arms, Alfred and Arthur spoke for hours on end, reminiscing over their favorite memories together:

When Alfred couldn't fall asleep because they had just watched a horror movie together. . . That one time when Arthur accidently drank coffee instead of water and his hair looked like it had just been electrocuted. . . When Arthur used his powers to help Matthew reunite with Kumajiro. . . Or those summer nights they spent together under the stars back when Arthur hadn't separated from the forest. 

Laughter. Tears. Bickering. Teasing. They became so engrossed in their own world it was like time had stopped. And when they finally ran out of things to say, and when Alfred's eyes began to droop, Arthur listened to Alfred's heartbeat, content with feeling the warmth of the man's arms around him and simply listening to the sound of him being _alive_. 

Alfred stirred. "Damn," he groaned, rubbing at his eyes. "I'm falling asleep. Sorry, were you in the middle of talking?"

Arthur smiled and shook his head. "No, it's fine, Alfred. Sleep."

"But what if-"

"I'll be sure to hang in there long enough to wish you a good morning. . . I promise. Now sleep. We can talk in the morning."

Something nagged at Alfred that there was something off about Arthur's promise for tomorrow, but whether it was the fatigue from his previous meltdown or the heavy drowsiness of sleep, Alfred agreed. "M'kay. G'night, Arthur," he said, slurring. He didn't even get a chance to hear a response before he knocked out. It didn't take long for Alfred's breathing to even out, snoring lightly as sleep took him. 

And in that darkness, Arthur kissed him, a light press to his lips before he whispered his final goodnight. 

. . .

When the sun rose the next morning, Alfred woke to find that Arthur's entire body had turned to dirt, a statuesque smile still on his face. All it took was one touch for his body to dissolve into dust, evaporating under the sunlight into nothingness. 

The 'good morning' Arthur had promised never came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand we're done the first part! All that's left are the two endings for you all to pick. I guess they'll be considered Part 2 and Part 3? Unless there can be two Part 2's. . . I still don't quite know the knacks of this website yet LOL. . . ouo;; Forgive me. 
> 
> BUT OMG I can't believe we're practically DONE! Thank you all so much for coming along this journey with me. I've never felt luckier to have such wonderful people supporting me. 
> 
> And while I'm writing the ends to this story, feel free to hit me up with any new ideas or requests! 
> 
> See you all soon!


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